


Crazy Rich Uchihas

by AnarchyAngel



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artist!Naruto, But I added some of my own unique twists :3, CEO!Sasuke, Crossover, Drama & Romance, Established Relationship, External relationship issues, Family Drama, Homophobic Language, Inspired by Crazy Rich Asians, Itachi is at the center of the Mysteries, Japanese Culture, Konan is the Queen of Mysteries, M/M, Mystery, Naruto x Crazy Rich Asians Crossover, No blood relation between Itachi and Shisui, Plot heavily inspired by Crazy Rich Asians, Protective Uchiha Itachi, SNS go to Japan!, Sasuke is a corporate mogul, Shisui is adopted into the Uchiha Family, Some NSFW Scenes, There's a Few Mysteries Happening, Uchiha family is filthy rich, more smut than intended, mostly plot, naruto is an artist, some homophobic scenes--warnings in chapter notes!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:49:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23039620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnarchyAngel/pseuds/AnarchyAngel
Summary: Naruto and Sasuke have been dating for three years, so when Sasuke asks Naruto to come to Japan with him to attend Itachi’s suspiciously abrupt wedding, Naruto goes without any hesitation. What Naruto quickly learns is that the Uchiha family is the literal definition ofold moneyandfamily traditions.Naruto isn’t prepared in the slightest for the onslaught about to be unleashed on him as he tries to navigate the subtle machinations of the oldest and most powerful family of Japan. Will their relationship survive the weight of hundreds of years of Uchiha tradition?Or, alternatively, the Naruto and Crazy Rich Asians crossover that absolutely no one asked for, but I have become completely obsessed with writing.
Relationships: Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 213
Kudos: 406





	1. [flower, bird, wind, moon]

**Author's Note:**

> *deep breath* okay! Let me start by saying that this is my first Major Project, as in this is my first roughly 100k word fic, so go easy on me please! I am 100000% determined to complete this fic (you should see my outline, it's intense) so I will be updating as often as I can, but writing is exhausting and this fic has quickly become my baby so just bear with me.  
> *****UPDATE: After some serious thinking, I have changed one of the characters in this story. There was a brief period that Itachi was going to be forced into marrying Sarada, but I was just using the name so I have switched it to Konan to avoid some misunderstandings. Sorry for everyone who read the original version, but thank you for the comments that made me rethink using Sarada's name!  
> ALSO, this work is completely un-beta'd! I am a new fanfic writer so I don't really have anyone to read over my works and check me on my bullsh*t so if you see any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them. On that note, if anyone is interested in beta-ing this work in particular, message me on any of my social media accounts (I'll leave a link to them at the end of the chapter).  
> I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I've enjoyed writing it :)  
> Oh and each chapter title is a Japanese proverb, the literal translations are the titles and the meanings are in the chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke invites Naruto to Japan;  
> Naruto gets spotted by a fan;  
> Iruka warns Naruto (he doesn't listen)

__

花鳥風月 _(kachou fuugetsu) [flower, bird, wind, moon]—experience the beauty of nature, and in doing so learn about yourself_

Naruto had long since grown accustomed to the noise of New York City. If he was being honest, he thrived off of the wild energy of the metropolitan that spoke to souls all around the world. He’d lived here for almost a decade and still found new things he loved about it. It’s chaotic and wild and perfect, which is why he had dragged his small class to Tompkins Square Park for today’s “lecture”. The perk of being a venerated and famous artist allowed him a few more liberties when it came to how he conducted his classes.

“Professor Namikaze, I still don’t understand the prompt. How am I supposed to ‘pour the city’s energy’ into a sketch of some pigeons?” The question distracted him from the almost meditative state he’d slipped into, a habit from years of practicing _taijutsu,_ “I told you to just call me Naruto—I’m only an honorary professor; and pigeons are iconic! There are more pigeons in this city than people—probably—and they have the same wild energy as its residents.” It’s true—he had once seen a flock of pigeons practically mauling a tourist who was dumb enough to feed them. Still, he couldn’t force inspiration into his students; if the young artist wasn’t feeling it then he just wasn’t feeling it. He knew better than to try and put _it_ into words—though brilliant in the art of capturing beauty on various mediums, he was less than subpar in the craftsmanship of language and poetry. Naruto couldn’t differentiate a haiku from a nursery rhyme, but it didn’t affect his work, so it didn’t really bother him.

With a sigh, Naruto dismissed his class, “All right, pack it up. That’s enough for today. Oh! Don’t forget to send Teacher Assistant Sai your updated portfolios for your midterms!” With a few groans his students packed away their canvases and sketchpads. The formerly mentioned teacher assistant shot Naruto a chillingly blank smile, his tone so dry it was practically sandpaper, “I am _not_ grading those portfolios for you.”

“Oh, come on Sai! That’s what TAs are for!” Naruto wailed. The only thing he hated more than critiquing other people’s art was stuck up rich assholes who couldn’t appreciate the work that went into said art. Naruto had gained ninety percent of his fame (notoriety) from refusing to sell to “rich snobs who couldn’t understand finger painting, let alone real art”—a direct quote he had told one of the richest patrons of the city.

Sai gave him one of those _looks._ Those disturbingly black eyes passed over him from top to bottom and a different smile took up residence on that strangely blank face. “I could be… _convinced_ to do your work for you. At a cost of course.” Naruto’s hackles immediately rose. Sai had been his TA for almost a year now and the guy was _still_ hitting on him like he was some kind of hot commodity. Naruto found it kind of funny, being that it’s usually the professor who harasses his assistant, and maybe in an alternate universe he would reciprocate the guy’s…enthusiasm, but the fact of the matter was that Naruto was grossly, almost obsessively enamored with his boyfriend. That and he couldn’t really tell if Sai wanted to have sex with him or assassinate him—Sai’s self-expression needed a lot of work; and yet somehow the guy was an accomplished artist. It was a paradox that went far beyond his capabilities of understanding.

Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes, “I already told you that I am _not_ posing as your nude model.” Despite Sai’s offensive attitude and aggressive flirting, he had become one of Naruto’s friends and Naruto cared more about his friends than anything else in the world—and if he was being honest, he really enjoyed trading crass jibes with his teacher’s assistant. It made being a professor in NYU’s esteemed—but profoundly boring—art department more fun.

“Oh? Have you really?” The deep and sultry voice that came from behind Naruto almost knocked the breath out of him. It should be impossible that his boyfriend’s voice _still_ got him hot and bothered after being together for three years, but it did; Sasuke Uchiha’s voice was like pure ecstasy to him, heating up his entire body with a lust that had only grown since the moment they laid eyes on each other. Which is impressive in and of itself, because the second their gazes locked, they had practically torn off each other’s clothes.

Naruto jolted and spun around. Sasuke was standing there, his tall and lithe frame encased in a perfectly tailored, extra slim, all black three-piece suit that suddenly had Naruto’s mouth feeling dry and his tongue licking over his bottom lip, Sasuke’s nimble hands resting in his pants pockets. The only pop of color was the bloodred tie tucked into his suit jacket, utterly mesmerizing in its simplicity. His face—that fucking _face_ that drove Naruto up the wall with poorly-contained lust—was slightly cocked to the side, a beautifully curved ebony eyebrow arched up in an expression of mild irritation. Sasuke could trademark that look, he wore it so damn often, and the most annoying thing was how much more attractive it made him. What made it even hotter was that Naruto knew exactly how Sasuke’s face looked writhing in sexual bliss beneath him, or how he looked while pounding into him…their sex life was more than a little ridiculous, but it would be a cold day in hell before he started complaining.

Naruto tamped down the never-ending lust that accompanied his every interaction with Sasuke and grinned at his boyfriend, “Hey _teme_ , I didn’t know you were stopping by.” He should have known when Sasuke texted him and asked where he was hosting class; Sasuke was always dropping by for lunch or coffee when he could spare time away from work. It wasn’t too often, with Sasuke being the CEO of several successful startups, his work schedule was insane on a good day, but they had worked through their differing schedules early on in their relationship. Naruto couldn’t be with someone he couldn’t spend time with; he’s a naturally affectionate person who thrives on being in the company of the people who matter to him, and Sasuke had mattered to him that first night they really got to know each other.

“I got out of my meeting early.” Sasuke’s succinct explanation didn’t deter him in the slightest—Sasuke would never leave a meeting early for anything that wasn’t important, and the fact that he counted among one of those important things wasn’t lost on him. It had taken a while to learn that Sasuke would never shower him in ridiculous praise or sweet nothings; both of them conversed through actions—what they did spoke a lot louder than anything they could ever say. The lack of communication had been a bit of a hurdle when they first started dating, especially with the endless fucking miscommunications (seriously, it was a mess), but it suited them, this language of actions that they were building together.

“Great! Then let’s grab some coffee. There’s a nice little café around the corner.” Naruto dragged Sasuke away before the glare between him and Sai set the entire park on fire. His boyfriend and his TA had hated each other since the moment they met. Every time Sasuke caught Sai brazenly flirting with Naruto, Sasuke would fall into a quietly homicidal state of mind. He was afraid that one day Sasuke really would take his _katana_ and impale his teacher’s assistant. His boyfriend was incredibly dedicated to the traditional Japanese martial art—another reason they had fallen for each other was their mutual love of Japanese martial arts—and though Naruto found that incredibly sexy, he was also terrified that Sasuke might stab his TA and leave him to grade all those damn portfolios by himself.

“E-mail me the final grades when you’re done, Sai!” Naruto yelled as he pulled Sasuke away, his strength more than sufficient to yank his boyfriend through the park. Naruto wasn’t the least bit vain, but he knew his body pretty damn well—he practiced _aikido, jujitsu,_ and _judo_ and could do a hundred push-ups without breaking much of a sweat. His body was _cut_ with washer board abs and well-defined muscles all over—he could kick the asses’ of people twice his size (and has done so on occasion). His strength had been what attracted Sasuke to him in the first place and the attraction went both ways since Sasuke was just as built, though in his case he was lither and more svelte—his muscles subtly hidden under perfect ivory skin that Naruto has tasted at every opportunity.

Sasuke let Naruto pull him away, the arm Naruto had latched onto covertly moved to his waist and slipped into his pocket. He smirked a little at Sasuke’s blatant display of territorialism. Naruto had never been the possessive type in any of his previous relationships but that changed the moment he got together with Sasuke, so it didn’t bother him to be claimed so openly by his boyfriend—he pulled the same crap when people thought they had the right to flirt with or touch Sasuke. Which was a lot of people, considering Sasuke was literally the most ridiculously beautiful human Naruto had ever seen much less dated. He had been a little embarrassed and irritated by his own jealousy when they first got together, but honestly it just turned them both on when the other got all possessive.

“One day you’re going to have to find a new TA.” Sasuke murmured as they strolled into the café, arms lightly wrapped around each other. Spring was in full swing but there was still a slight chill in the air—perfect weather for being outdoors, though Naruto didn’t really care for being inside even when the weather was less than ideal. Something about being out in nature drew Naruto, as if he could just absorb all the natural energies around him. That was part of the reason he had been drawn to New York City—the allure of Central Park too strong for him to ignore.

“He does that crap just to annoy you…mostly. He’s a pretty decent assistant and his art is already really good. It won’t be much longer before his name gets more recognized in the community.” Naruto ordered their drinks when they got to the counter—a gross, _bitter,_ large black coffee for Sasuke and a latte with extra milk and sugar _and_ whip cream for himself. He even got one of those little cakes taunting him from behind the glass. The barista—a young, flashy millennial—practically swooned when she saw them. Naruto gave her one of his thousand-watt smiles and took a minute to get to know her—he’d always loved connecting with people and people seemed to genuinely like talking to him. The enamored barista ended up giving them the cake for free and discounting the drinks.

Naruto sensed more than saw Sasuke roll his eyes at what Sasuke has deemed his “stunted and juvenile taste buds”. Naruto would openly admit to having a bit of a sweet-tooth, but he really couldn’t deal with the black sludge that Sasuke mainlined like crack—seriously, he’d seen him drink about a gallon of pure black coffee in a single day once. The only thing Sasuke liked more than the bitter monstrosity was tea, but he was a _lot_ more fastidious about that particular beverage. Naruto loved the bastard, but he knew very well that Sasuke was a bit (more than a bit) of a snob. He just chalked it up to being part of his arrogant asshole charm—patented by none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

“How would you feel about taking a trip east with me?” Sasuke was very quietly drumming his fingers against his coffee cup—a telltale sign that something important was occupying his thoughts. Sasuke is an extremely complicated person and Naruto is a bit…dense—though it had taken him a significantly long time to realize that aspect of himself—so Sasuke’s tells were still a bit hard for him to read, but he was getting better. Unfortunately, if Sasuke was actually displaying any sort of tell, then something must really be wrong. Naruto was immediately on edge.

“What, like to Queens?” Naruto joked as he finished the last of his cake. He’d learned not to be as blunt as he used to be, even though it went against his nature. He was still extremely candid—almost putting a bull in a china shop to shame—but he’d developed some tact in the latter half of his twenties.

“No, _dobe,_ to Japan.” Naruto almost choked on his coffee (flavored milk). Of all the things he had been ready to hear, that was not among them. He was still getting his breath back when Sasuke dropped another bomb on him. “Itachi is getting married.”

“What!?” Naruto’s shriek startled the entire café, the barista from earlier came rushing over to check if everything was okay. He quickly apologized and waved her away. “What do you mean Itachi’s getting _married?_ I didn’t even think he was…” He only just managed to stop himself from continuing—his tongue would probably recover from the bite.

Sasuke just raised his brow at him, the words _“continue, I dare you”_ written all over his face. Naruto nervously glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I mean…” with a groan Naruto just let his thoughts loose—so much for all that tact he’d been working on, “I just thought that Itachi was asexual. When I met him, I got the impression that he wasn’t really interested in anyone in that kind of context.” Truthfully, Itachi still scared the ever-loving shit out of him; there was literally _nothing_ Itachi wouldn’t do for his beloved little brother, but thankfully Itachi had come when Naruto and Sasuke had been struggling and he had helped them work out their relationship. Naruto liked to think that Itachi actually approved of him—the elder Uchiha brother certainly had ample opportunities to tank their floundering relationship during that first year. But rather than send him packing, Itachi had encouraged him to keep trying to work out their problems—he had even worked with Naruto to figure out just what those problems were and how best to handle them (that communication part of relationships is a _bitch)._

“His sexuality doesn’t matter, not if this wedding is what I think it is. However, this is more sudden than I would expect from him. He’s asked me to be his best man but trying to extract any information from Itachi is like watching grass grow—a waste of my time. You said you wanted to go to Japan so I thought you’d be interested in coming.” Sasuke would never directly admit to wanting Naruto to go with him, but Naruto heard it all the same. Itachi and Sasuke had a complex relationship that bordered on violently competitive but was founded on unconditional love. Itachi isn’t the only Uchiha brother who would do anything for his sibling. So, Naruto could understand Sasuke wanting some support while diving headfirst into something that was potentially ambiguous and involved Itachi. He may not have ever had any blood relatives, but he understood the strength of bonds—his bonds were the most important piece of himself; they defined who has was and the path he walked, especially the bond he shared with the arrogant jerk he loved.

“Hell yeah, I’d love to go. When is the wedding? And who is Itachi even marrying?” Naruto’s head was already buzzing with all the things he’d have to do before jumping on the next flight to Japan. He had always wanted to go to Japan, to explore his heritage and maybe learn a bit more about his biological parents. He knew so painfully little of them—only their names, Minato and Kushina Namikaze. Naruto knew he could have asked his adoptive father about them—Iruka had known them when he was a teenager—but Naruto could never bring himself to face that part of his past. What good would it do? He was who he was today because of the path he forged for himself with the support of the people he had connected with through hard work and perseverance. Blood had nothing to do with who he was and what he had accomplished.

“Her name is Konan—she’s distantly connected to our family and has known both me and Itachi since we were young. I haven’t spoken to her in a long time. The dates coincide with your spring break, and you mentioned that Gaara has just finished settling things in Tokyo.” Leave it to Sasuke to already have everything planned out before even asking him. Given that Naruto was still pretty (absolutely) awful at planning, he very much appreciated this aspect of Sasuke’s personality. And Gaara _had_ asked him to come visit—the mess with his family had taken a long time to clean up, but Gaara had managed to cleave the Sabaku family of its ties to the _yakuza._ Naruto had missed his best friend since Gaara had left to deal with his father, and the thought of visiting him excited the hell out of him.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke, a bit of his devil-may-care attitude coming out, “So when do we leave?”

Sasuke eyed him carefully before returning a similar smirk, his eyes sparking with a bit of the audaciousness that Naruto had fallen for, “I already took care of the tickets.”

Naruto just laughed and enjoyed being in the company of the cocky bastard who had turned his life upside-down with that very smirk.

It was as they were leaving that the barista from earlier cornered Naruto. “You’re Naruto Namikaze, aren’t you?! The famous artist?” Leave it to a millennial to have fished out his identity in the span of half an hour with nothing but his first name and appearance. He wouldn’t be surprised if the girl had his entire life story pulled up on her phone. As much as he tried to keep his personal life private, he was still a pretty (extremely) successful artist living in one of the most artistically bustling cities in the country, and he always got caught while in the East Village. Literally every time he was within a three-mile radius of the artistic hub, he would get stopped by an aspiring artist or a fan of his work. He once got flagged down by an eccentric patron who had all but begged to see his latest unpublished works. Naruto put on a good face and tried to handle the attention as best he could, but it still made him uncomfortable. His childhood hadn’t exactly been…conducive to learning how to handle any recognition. As a young kid, the only time Naruto got any sort of attention was when he was getting into a shitload of trouble or getting his ass kicked—usually both. But he put on a smile and let her take a selfie, she didn’t mean any harm and even if it made him a bit uncomfortable, he owed it to his fans to be friendly.

“Oh my God, is he your boyfriend? He’s so hot! Can I get a picture of you two?” That…was a bit more than Naruto was willing to give. Sasuke wasn’t exactly super open about their lives; by no means was he still in the closet—it’d be impossible to hide the way they looked at each other—but Sasuke didn’t enjoy broadcasting their relationship to complete strangers.

“Uh…” Naruto hesitated, nervously scratching his cheek.

“It’s fine.” Sasuke interrupted quietly before Naruto could come up with a polite way to tell her no. Sasuke slid his hand to the small of his back and looked over at the girl. With a squeal of delight, she snapped a few shots—Naruto managed a small smile for at least one of them, but he was sure Sasuke had never intentionally smiled for a photograph in his entire life and he certainly didn’t alter that habit for this aggressive fan. The only pictures Naruto had of Sasuke smiling were candid shots caught in precious few moments that he cherished. Those pictures were extremely private, and Naruto had never even considered sharing them with anyone, except _maybe_ Itachi. He horded Sasuke’s rare smiles for himself like they were the most precious of jewels—mostly because, to him, they were worth so much more than gemstones.

“Sorry about that,” Naruto murmured when they finally escaped—a feat only accomplished after promising that he’d come back sometime for some more cake.

“It’s fine,” Sasuke replied before stepping away to check his buzzing phone, “I have to take this. I’ll see you at home.”

“See ya,” Naruto waved after him as he turned to walk back to the NYU art department. He belatedly remembered that he should probably warn Sai that he was leaving the country, and maybe send his students a mass e-mail telling them to bother Sai with any and all questions—not that that was any different than normal. Naruto groaned as he realized he also had to figure out the time difference and call Gaara to let him know he’d be coming to visit. It was as he was fumbling with his phone’s international clock that it began ringing. He immediately lit up at the name flashing on his screen.

“Iruka- _sensei!_ ” His adoptive dad had impeccable timing. Although Iruka had adopted Naruto when he was six, he had never told him to call him dad—Iruka had only been twenty-two when he had finalized the adoption, so Naruto just called him _sensei_ and he never really outgrew the habit. After all, it had been Iruka who had helped him learn about his Japanese heritage, including teaching him to speak the language. _Sensei_ was a fitting honorific for him.

“Naruto! I was hoping I would catch you. Do you have some time to grab some ramen?” Iruka was a teacher at a middle school in the Upper East Side and Manhattan’s best ramen bar was conveniently located in Murray Hill—about halfway between where his campus was and where Iruka worked. Fate was mysteriously working in his favor at the moment.

“Yeah! I’ve got some great news too! I’ll meet you at the usual place in about an hour.” He figured that should give Iruka plenty of time to get through the after-school traffic and Naruto a chance to drop his workload onto Sai and flee before the TA murdered him.

He was whistling happily with his hands loosely clasped behind his head as he walked to his office, a spark of excitement sharpened his grin a bit. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he realized that this would be the first time he would be meeting Sasuke’s family, apart from Itachi. Naruto was a natural people-person, so he quickly brushed aside any nervousness. What could possibly go wrong?

Sasuke was not prepared for the phone call that had his phone buzzing aggressively in his hand. He took a moment to breathe and glanced back at his boyfriend’s retreating form. Naruto stood out from the crowd; his brilliantly bright, naturally blond hair stuck up at strange angles that looked just on this side of intentionally messy. Frankly, it was hardly any different than how his hair looked first thing in the morning, and it took considerable willpower to stop Sasuke from reaching out and dragging his hands through the soft locks—a habit he had indulged in just that morning. Even after these past three years, Sasuke was still working to get his lust for his boyfriend under control; before he had met the annoying moron, sex had just been a bodily function he did to keep himself in good health. Nothing could have prepared him for the insane chemistry that short-circuited his normally highly intelligent thought patterns, and yet he wouldn’t change it for anything.

With a soft sigh he watched as Naruto disappeared, his long black cardigan slipping through the crowd like leaves on a breeze. The way Naruto dressed was yet another thing that set him apart; the long-sleeved black cardigan paired with a loose white shirt and black harem joggers only made the garish, bright orange trainers on his feet stand out more. Sasuke had long ago written off Naruto’s sense of fashion to his profession as an artist, though he also knew it was heavily influenced by the fact that Naruto just liked being comfortable.

Sasuke took a deep breath, his back unconsciously straightening as he lifted his phone to his ear.

“Father,” Sasuke answered, threading as much steel into his voice as he could muster—which was a considerable amount. Sasuke had sent some of the most hostile businessmen he had gone up against running away with their figurative tails between their legs using nothing but his voice and facial expressions.

“Sasuke. Itachi has just informed me that you have confirmed you will be attending the wedding. Your mother was ecstatic when she heard the news.” Fugaku Uchiha’s voice was the epitome of ice-cold ruthlessness—the very mold Sasuke had learned from.

“Yes, father. We will be arriving several days beforehand so I can help Itachi with the arrangements.” There was a pregnant pause on the other line. Sasuke knew damn well that his father did not miss the fact that Sasuke had all but shouted from the rooftops that he would not be coming alone.

When his father’s voice came back on the line, it was dipped in quiet venom, the coldest Sasuke had heard it in a very long time, “Your bedroom is prepared…for _you._ I decided to have parts of the house renovated and I will not accept any guests while it is in such a state. If you continue to push for your _guest_ to come, then I will be forced to insist that he stay elsewhere.”

“I understand. I’ve already booked a room at the Peninsula.” Sasuke knew his voice was vibrating with quiet fury, but he couldn’t stop himself. His demeanor turned so dark he got several frightened looks from passersby’s—it did absolutely nothing to lessen his wrath. This was a fight he had been waiting to finish for three long years.

“Your mother will be disappointed.” And just like that, the hellfire inferno of fury raging inside him was frozen solid. Sasuke stopped walking, but before he could respond, Fugaku continued, “Madara will expect to see you. You will formally pay your respects when you arrive.”

The hand holding Sasuke’s phone clenched so tightly that had he been thinking clearly, he would have worried about breaking the device, but he was too furious to notice—his thoughts flying a lightspeed. The amount of effort it took to spit out his next words could have razed an entire city, “Yes, father.” With a soft breath, Fugaku ended the call and Sasuke stared at the phone that now had a crack along its sleek glass backing.

Sasuke released a long and harsh breath before he dialed his subordinates. This was going to be a very long and intense endeavor, and Sasuke would _not_ allow his companies to suffer. Suigetsu picked up on the second ring, and before the man could so much as speak, Sasuke began quietly barking orders for how to handle his upcoming absence. It took several hours and several more phone calls to both Karin and Juugo for Sasuke to be certain that his businesses wouldn’t crash and burn while he was away. Because this trip “home” was going to require his complete and absolute focus. It wasn’t just the fact that Sasuke intended to put an end to the battle him and Fugaku had been waging since Sasuke first realized he was gay, but it was also this sudden marriage Itachi was getting into.

Itachi was the only member of his family that Sasuke spoke to almost every single day, and though Sasuke was fueled with a burning need to surpass him, he still worried about his older brother. Itachi didn’t uselessly gab about his own personal life—he was much too busy uncovering everything about Sasuke’s—but he hadn’t so much as uttered a single _word_ about Konan until he had informed Sasuke of the wedding. Sasuke _would_ get to the bottom of this, and if he had to raise hell itself then so be it. Strange, though, that of all the thoughts whirling through Sasuke’s head, not a single one was concern for how Naruto would handle his family. After all, the annoying blond had handled Sasuke just fine when they first met. He could handle whatever the Uchiha patriarchy was about to send his way, of this Sasuke had no doubts.

Naruto was three bowls in and counting before he finally came up for a breath of fresh air.

“Ahh! Ramen really is the best!” He had loved ramen for as long as he could remember, due largely to the fact that him and Iruka had practically survived off of nothing but instant noodles for the better part of his adolescence. It couldn’t be helped, Iruka had just finished his undergrad degree when Naruto had moved in with him—old college habits die hard and Iruka was the worst cook Naruto had ever met, so instant ramen had become their go-to dish. Iruka was so hopeless in the kitchen that he had accidentally cooked with expired milk and served it for dinner—Naruto was still traumatized by the ensuing stomachache from hell that left him stuck on the toilet for a full day.

They had struggled, what single parent doesn’t? But Naruto had never _once_ been anything less than thankful for Iruka. Sure, he had given his adoptive dad hell at the very beginning, he was an orphaned brat fresh out of the foster system and trouble was a way of life for him. But there was a night, when Naruto—off getting into some serious shit like a naive moron—had truly messed up; he got into something way over his head and was about to suffer the penalties for his stupidity, but Iruka had stepped in and protected him. That night, Iruka told him that he mattered.

Naruto had never been told that before; he had never _mattered_ to anyone before. Him and Iruka had bawled like babies that night, and ever since, Naruto had done everything in his power to prove that Iruka hadn’t been wrong to care about him. He worked his ass off to become someone Iruka could be proud of; someone who was acknowledged by others and never went back on his word.

Subjectively speaking, he felt like he had accomplished that goal—not because he was successful in his career, but because he had forged friendships that lasted. He built connections from the nothing that life had allotted him upon birth and those relationships had defined the man he became.

“Only three bowls? I’m shocked, you usually make it to at least five.” Iruka smirked at him from where he sat at the small bar, a cup of _sake_ in his hand.

Naruto grinned and ordered another bowl; his bottomless pit of a stomach had made him a legend at this particular establishment. The owner was a fan of his and had even commissioned some pieces for the restaurant; his daughter was also particularly sweet to him, claiming that he was the reason their business had grown so much in the past few years. Naruto didn’t agree—their ramen was the best in the city, and they didn’t need anyone’s help getting customers, but she was adamant, and Naruto would never get on the bad side of the one who served him delicious ramen.

“So, what was the ‘great news’ you wanted to tell me about?” Iruka asked as he finished the last of his _sake,_ a slight red tint warming his cheeks. Iruka was such a lightweight, but Naruto didn’t mind taking care of him—it was only in the past couple years that Iruka would even drink around him, so it was kind of fun to see this side of the man who had raised him.

“Oh yeah! You’re never gonna’ believe it, but Sasuke’s brother is getting married!” Naruto was still reeling over that particular revelation—his mental understanding of Itachi becoming murkier and murkier the more he tried to wrap his head around it.

“What? The same Itachi who single-handedly salvaged your relationship with Sasuke?” Iruka had only heard about Itachi from Naruto—they’d never actually had the pleasure of meeting so Iruka only knew the second-hand information that he passed along. Mostly, Iruka just knew about the fact that Itachi had stepped in when Naruto and Sasuke were two steps away from torching their relationship (and each other)—he refrained from telling Iruka just how terrifying Itachi was, it wasn’t really something Naruto could put into words anyway.

“Yep, _and_ Sasuke is going to be the best man. We’re going to Japan for spring break!” His fourth bowl arrived, and he immediately dove in, almost missing the sudden jerk of Iruka’s head and the expression on the man’s face.

“Naruto…” Iruka’s hesitant tone pulled his attention away from his food, “You’re going to Japan— _with_ Sasuke—to meet his family?”

“Well, we’re going for the wedding but I’m sure I’ll end up meeting his family while I’m at it.” Iruka looked…worried. It wasn’t something Naruto was used to seeing, and more importantly, he hadn’t expected that part of his news to be a big deal—it hadn’t been that serious when Sasuke met Iruka, so why would Naruto meeting Sasuke’s parents be all that significant?

At least in Iruka’s case, he had known all about their problems, so it had made sense that Iruka had taken a bit longer to warm up to Sasuke. But he and Sasuke were steady now, much more united than they had been when Sasuke got the third degree from Iruka. They would face this as a team, and to date there had never been anything they couldn’t overcome when they worked together. Why would this be any different?

“The important thing is that I finally get to go to Japan! You know I’ve always wanted to go and explore my roots!” Naruto was thrilled at the thought of getting to eat ramen in the country from which it originated. “Besides, it’s not like I’d stick out too much, I speak Japanese fluently, you brought me up in the culture, and I’m even involved with the Japanese community here in New York.” Naruto switched to speaking Japanese, his speech a little imperfect and accented, but no less fluent than a native speaker.

“Naruto, I’m excited for you, really. It’s just that from what you’ve told me—which isn’t a lot, by the way—Sasuke’s family is more conservative than you’ve had to deal with before.” Iruka sighed and switched to speaking Japanese as well. “You speak the language, you know the culture, but in your head and in your heart, you’re different. You grew up _here_. I just think that you should be prepared for anything. They’re different from us.”

“I don’t know much about Sasuke’s family because he doesn’t talk about anyone aside from Itachi, and Itachi’s in our corner so how bad can the rest of the Uchiha family be? They’re not different than us, we just live in two different parts of the world. We’re all still Japanese regardless of where we have lived.” Naruto didn’t let Iruka’s nerves rub off on him. This was an opportunity he was determined to take advantage of, and he had _always_ been able to make friends with the least likely of people. Gaara had terrified literally every single one of their mutual acquaintances and Naruto had still managed to convert him into his best friend. How much harder could it be to get Sasuke’s parents to like him?

Iruka left it at that and instead gave him a list of things he should do and places he should go see while there. He felt his excitement surging again as they talked, drowning out any of Iruka’s cautious warnings. This was going to be a trip that Naruto would never forget.


	2. [not knowing is Buddha]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sasuke set out for Tokyo; Naruto gets a surprise, which he shows his ~appreciation~ for during the flight.  
> Our favorite couple also arrive at Haneda airport and we get to enjoy these two being stupidly adorable <3  
> We also get our first look at Konan and Itachi! Alas, no Shisui yet, but he's coming!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at smut! Smut is an art form that some writers have utterly perfected, I however (in my opinion) suck at it so fair warning. If you want to skip over it, just scroll down to the . . . breaks in the page.  
> Also, if you're interested in the flight Sas booked, you can read about it here!  
> [All Nippon Airways First Class/](https://thepointsguy.com/guide/ultimate-guide-ana-first-class/)  
> Oh and Pikachu planes are real! Google it! They're super adorable!

__

_知らぬが仏 (shiranu ga hotoke) [not knowing is Buddha]—ignorance is bliss_

There are so many things that Naruto loves about New York City. The chaos, the energy, the food, and—most of the time—the people. Unfortunately, for all the amazing things in New York, the city somehow has the _worst_ airports in the world (at least in Naruto’s limited experience). Naruto was looking forward to going to Tokyo—he was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement—but his mood was tempered by the fact that he would have to deal with JFK’s endless delays (or worse, a cancellation) and then suffer through a fourteen-hour flight in the upright coffins the airlines liked to pass off as seats. So, as their taxi pushed through the endless traffic surrounding the famously awful airport to reach the right terminal, Naruto mentally prepared himself for the worst.

He released a long and exaggerated groan as he and Sasuke unloaded their luggage from the trunk, “I really wish I didn’t have such extreme reactions to most medications. I would definitely appreciate being able to pop an Ambien right about now…” The last time Naruto had tried any sort of sleep medication, he had been knocked out for almost twenty hours and woke up feeling like he’d been run over by a truck—for all he remembered, he might have been. He never touched prescription meds again, and outright refused to so much as sniff any other drug, therefore he had suffered through every flight he’d taken too wired to sleep and too uncomfortable to enjoy the novelty.

Sasuke smirked at him as he hoisted the luggage onto the curb, his soft grey Henley pulling tightly over his chest as he moved. Naruto’s eyes zeroed in on the exposed skin of his toned abdomen and a different kind of excitement started coursing through his veins. Sasuke practically lives in business casual and business professional attire, so seeing him in loose black joggers, a ridiculously perfect Henley and a light jacket got Naruto’s blood pumping a bit faster. Naruto was suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he might soon have the opportunity to join the mile-high club.

Before he could say anything, a flight attendant with two bellhops and a trolley came up to Sasuke and bowed politely, her uniform crisp and immaculate—a pretty blue pattern that caught the eye and vaguely reminded Naruto of a traditional Japanese kimono design.

“Good afternoon Mr. Uchiha,” she smiled radiantly and turned to Naruto, “Mr. Namikaze, we’ll take your bags and get you checked into first class.” The bellhops moved to grab their luggage as Sasuke shut the trunk.

“Uh… no that can’t be right, we didn’t get first class tickets…did we?” Naruto just stared at Sasuke with an open mouth as Sasuke let the bellhops take their luggage and nodded at the flight attendant.

“This way please,” she smiled again and graciously waved for Naruto and Sasuke to follow. Naruto watched, baffled, as their luggage was swept away and Sasuke followed after the attendant; Sasuke sent a sly smirk over his shoulder as Naruto rushed to catch up. Of the few times he had been to JFK, Naruto had experienced the hell of waiting in the endless lines of check-in, the herd mentality of people as they tried to get through security, and the depressed atmosphere when the PA system announced a cancellation or delay; but this time, all Naruto and Sasuke did was follow behind the pretty flight attendant and all those previous annoyances just, disappeared—they breezed through security with nothing but a cursory once-over and got brought to the terminal. Before Naruto could get over the shock, they were already boarding the absolute _biggest_ plane he had ever seen, much less been on. Their flight attendant—Naruto got the weird sense that she came to work today solely for the purpose of escorting and caring for Naruto and Sasuke—led them past all the other passengers and when Naruto stepped onto the plane, his jaw actually dropped.

This couldn’t be a plane, Naruto must have been sucked into some weird alternate universe because the “plane” looked like the cabin of an expensive train and the “seats” were high-tech pods with the most comfortable leather recliners Naruto had ever seen, fully equipped with high quality screens in each of the roomy, private cubicles. Naruto just stared as he and Sasuke were led past a ritzy, full-service bar, “Welcome aboard Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Namikaze, would you care for some champagne?”

“Uh, no I’m good. Thanks…” Naruto started side-eyeing the shit out of Sasuke, who was still smirking at Naruto like he was some kind of monkey amusing him. Naruto wanted to smack that look right off his perfect face…or bite it off, either way would be fine. Their attendant led them to a private suite and waved them in, “After take-off, would you like to enjoy the lounge chairs, or should we convert your suite into a bedroom?”

“We’re fine for now.” Sasuke dismissed the attendant and looked over what Naruto assumed was a menu.

“Sas, what the hell!?” Naruto yell-whispered as they settled into their plushy seats. “I know your companies have been doing really well, but this is a bit much! How expensive were these tickets?” Sasuke was good at what he did, more than good from what Naruto could understand of it, but startups are still tricky. Although Sasuke had never actually been tight on cash, he’d had to put his apartment up for capital twice before. Both times had been a calculated risk, one that paid off so well that Sasuke actually profited six times what he had put into the endeavor; it was the kind of risk normal CEOs would be too afraid to take, but Sasuke had the confidence and the intelligence to back up his actions. He never failed once he set his mind on something.

But none of that meant Naruto was comfortable with him throwing away money on useless luxuries; neither of them was hurting financially, and honestly when they combined their incomes, they could fund a small city, but Naruto had spent most of his life being frugal. Being an artist isn’t exactly the most stable career—job security in the field is a joke—so Naruto used what he needed to and saved the rest—he _still_ had the frog-shaped coin purse Iruka had given him when he was seven and Naruto would be damned before he let _gama-chan_ starve.

“Relax, _dobe,_ the tickets were free.” Sasuke didn’t even look up from the menu as he crossed his legs and got comfortable.

“Huh? How the hell did you manage to get free tickets to a flight this ritzy?” Naruto had known Sasuke wouldn’t deign to fly economy for a fourteen-hour flight, but he hadn’t expected _this._ His penny-pinching anxiety settled after hearing that Sasuke hadn’t spent a small fortune on something as mundane as flight tickets. Naruto looked through the delicately wrapped amenity kit that had been on his seat. The pajamas he pulled out were luxuriously soft silk and Naruto intensely considered changing out of his cotton cargo pants and into the garment—he would definitely make sure to take them with him when they landed.

“My family does a lot of business with the airline. The tickets are a perk.” Sasuke waved at the flight attendant and placed an order for their meal as well as a glass of fancy-sounding whiskey. Naruto let Sasuke order for him, given that he was still too busy experimenting with all the buttons in their suite to look over the menu—Sasuke knew Naruto’s tastes well and ordered him a few items from the exquisite Japanese selections.

“Speaking of your family, have you figured out what this whole marriage between Itachi and Konan is about?” Naruto settled his focus on Sasuke; they’d talked briefly about Sasuke’s concerns over the whole affair—it was so abrupt and Itachi hadn’t even spoken to Sasuke about the subject except for the invitation.

“No, Itachi is as tight-lipped as ever.” Sasuke’s relationship with Itachi was complicated; Sasuke so clearly idolized his older brother but he was also driven by an intense desire to surpass him. They clashed often, but when the two Uchiha brothers set their minds on the same goal, shit got _done._ Every business venture Sasuke and Itachi pursued together always ended in success—as if the two brothers weren’t deadly enough on their own.

“You said Konan is distantly connected to your family, how so?” Sasuke didn’t talk about his family very often—all Naruto really knew about them was that they were business oriented and successful with their various companies. Sasuke had made it pretty clear that he wanted to make it on his own, without any help from his family’s influence or power. Naruto thought he had done a pretty damn good job, considering Sasuke had successfully built no less than three thriving startups before he hit the age of thirty.

“She’s a sort of…retainer for the main family. She’s the same age as Itachi and grew up alongside us, but as far as I know she has no connections that Itachi would be particularly interested in.” Sasuke’s whiskey arrived and he swirled the expensive beverage, his expression contemplative.

Naruto paused and narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend, “You talk about marriage like it’s some kind of business deal.” Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes. Naruto just about gave in to the urge to punch the smug asshole.

“It _is_ a business deal; or at least it most likely is in this case. You said yourself that you thought Itachi was asexual—I wouldn’t say you’re wrong. I’ve never seen him interested in anyone, male or female, in a context that could even be remotely categorized as ‘romantic.’”

“So, if Itachi’s not romantically interested in her and she’s already a retainer of your family, why would he marry her?” Naruto couldn’t imagine being married to someone he didn’t love wholeheartedly, but he knew that not all marriages were built the way he wanted his to be. If a partnership with mutual benefit was what someone wanted out of their marriage, then Naruto wasn’t one to judge.

Sasuke quirked his eyebrow at Naruto and took a sip of his whiskey, “Took you long enough to get there. That’s why we’re going on this trip, moron _._ ”

“Oh, fuck off. How am I supposed to understand your brother’s motives if even _you_ don’t understand them?” Naruto retorted, but there wasn’t much bite in it; his eyes fell on Sasuke’s lips as he sipped his whiskey, the amber liquid leaving his boyfriend’s lips glistening. Sasuke’s gaze immediately heated in response to Naruto’s not-so-subtle attention. This happened too often for Naruto to be surprised—one minute they would be verbally accosting each other, and the next they’d be ripping the other’s clothes off. Something about the way they bickered and squabbled got Naruto’s blood pumping faster; no one else had ever pushed his buttons as much as Sasuke Uchiha, and damn if it didn’t make him more attractive. Sasuke took everything Naruto threw at him and returned it in kind—there was no part of Naruto that Sasuke couldn’t handle, and vice versa. With Sasuke, Naruto didn’t have to hold back.

Unfortunately, before Naruto could proceed with his plan to join the mile-high club, the attendants called for everyone to fasten their seatbelts. Naruto shelved his plan—for now—and enjoyed the small thrill of taking flight. Dinner was served shortly after and Naruto practically melted as his taste buds ascended to heaven. He supposed the undoubtedly expensive tickets were worth the cost, after all he _had_ witnessed several jars of caviar pass by to various passengers, and he was strongly considering the advantages of a private suite for the next fourteen hours.

It was much later, after Sasuke had their suite converted to a bed, that Naruto was able to follow through with his plan.

“I’m starting to think you had some ulterior motives for getting these tickets,” Naruto murmured as he played with the tongue piercing he had gotten during a drunk night out with Kiba in high school. Sasuke’s eyes zeroed in on the small metal bead that Naruto used to drive his lover insane, the heat in those dark ebony eyes made Naruto shiver in anticipation.

“I didn’t realize you were capable of something as complex as thinking,” Sasuke’s tongue darted over his bottom lip, at odds with the (blatantly forced) indifferent tone he used to reply.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’ve got a couple of ideas for how we can pass the next fourteen hours,” Naruto replied as he pulled Sasuke close and nipped at his lover’s jaw. Sasuke’s responding growl went straight to Naruto’s cock, his body heating up when his knee brushed over Sasuke’s growing erection.

Sasuke’s hands immediately went to Naruto’s hips and pulled him even closer. Naruto dragged his lips over Sasuke’s pulse, reveling in the rapid beat under soft pale skin as he slipped his hands under Sasuke’s shirt. Sasuke hissed as Naruto shoved him onto the bed and dipped down to press several wet kisses to his navel, following the thin trail of soft black hairs to the waistband of Sasuke’s pants. Sasuke hurriedly shoved off his own shirt and grabbed for Naruto’s but Naruto batted away those impatient hands, in the mood to torture his boyfriend a bit.

Naruto laved the area just above Sasuke’s pants with his tongue, following along the sharp lines of his toned abdomen until he reached his lover’s hips. Sasuke groaned and tossed his head back onto the soft pillows. Naruto leaned back and admired the view—his completely erect and shirtless boyfriend met his gaze with hooded eyes, lids heavy with blatant arousal.

“Take off your shirt,” Sasuke’s voice was lower, gravelly with lust; it drove Naruto crazy, his ridiculously hard cock leaking a drop of precum. Naruto bit his lip and slowly lifted off his own shirt, his hands gliding over the toned abs he worked his ass off to maintain. Sasuke growled again, his eyes eating up Naruto’s exposed skin like it was his favorite view in the world.

Naruto tossed his shirt away and slowly began to drag Sasuke’s pants down, never breaking Sasuke’s expectant gaze. Sasuke was always so cold and controlled—it was only with Naruto that his frigid exterior evaporated into so much mist, the heat between them could melt a glacier. Sky blue met ebony black as Naruto locked his gaze with Sasuke’s and finally pushed those pants down enough to free his cock, his lover’s pretty pink head already glistening with precum.

Sasuke actually whimpered—albeit quietly—when Naruto blew softly over his cock, the cool air sending a shiver through his entire body. Naruto hummed, more than pleased to see his lover losing control. He continued to stare into those gorgeous ebony eyes as he ran his closed lips over engorged flesh and smiled when he reached the tip, his hands moving to pin Sasuke’s hips down.

Naruto winked before he swallowed Sasuke completely, reveling in the bit off scream Sasuke tried to smother by biting his hand. Naruto softened the back of his throat and sucked down Sasuke’s impressive length as far as he could, humming a little to vibrate against the heated skin. Sasuke’s hands clenched into Naruto’s hair, but Naruto still had his hips pinned, keeping him from thrusting into his throat.

“Fuck, Naruto!” Sasuke’s voice was cracked and broken, his heels digging into the blankets as Naruto used the expertise he had honed down to an art in the three years they had been together to drive Sasuke insane. Sasuke tapped Naruto’s shoulder twice, their sign that he was about to finish, and Naruto let Sasuke’s cock slip from his dripping mouth with a wet _pop,_ but before Sasuke could cum, Naruto wrapped his fingers around the base of his shaft and gripped tightly.

Sasuke’s expression went from blissed-out to absolutely feral in two seconds flat—Naruto’s cock jumped, another bead of precum dampening his now-too-tight boxers. He had barely processed his own arousal before Sasuke had him pinned to the bed, his knees digging into Naruto’s hips as he harshly bit at Naruto’s bottom lip, just short of drawing blood.

Naruto couldn’t stop the indecent moan he released—somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped the walls weren’t too thin.

Naruto’s brain short-circuited when Sasuke gripped his wrists in one hand and shoved them into the pillows; his other hand tangled into Naruto’s hair and forcefully pulled his head back as his lips slid down Naruto’s throat, sucking harshly enough that he knew he’d be marked for the next several days—the thought caused him nothing but pleasure.

His skin felt too hot as Sasuke squeezed his wrists—silently telling him to not move—and slid his hands over Naruto’s chest, pausing at the nipples that were standing at attention. Naruto’s breath caught as Sasuke gently, almost reverently, padded over the sensitive skin, drawing out moans from him as if he were an instrument that Sasuke knew how to play like an expert. When he replaced those talented, nimble fingers with his mouth Naruto couldn’t help but buck against the knees still keeping him pinned down. Sasuke admonished him by gently biting at Naruto’s nipple, his other hand firmly circling over the neglected one.

“Sas…” Naruto complained, his voice cracking on another moan as his sexually irritated lover increased the pressure of his tongue and fingers, pinching hard before easing up. He repeated the same treatment on Naruto’s other nipple until he was frustrated enough that he wanted to shove Sasuke off and ride his boyfriend until Sasuke screamed—the rest of the plane be damned.

As if Sasuke could read his mind, he finally moved his attention to Naruto’s raging cock; he was so damp from precum it was almost humiliating, except Naruto had long since stopped being embarrassed or humiliated about the things that felt good between him and Sasuke.

Sasuke slipped his hand into Naruto’s pants and wrapped his fingers around his heated flesh, Naruto couldn’t help but moan and thrust into that perfect palm. He was so lost in his own lust that he didn’t notice Sasuke’s other hand digging through his discarded pants pocket until he heard the telltale sound of a bottle being opened. Naruto couldn’t help but grin—Sasuke’s forethought and planning knew no bounds, especially when it came to their love life. They had both started carrying around condoms and lube two weeks after they had started fucking; less than three months later, the condoms stopped being necessary as they realized that sex with anyone else held absolutely no interest for either of them.

Sasuke pulled Naruto’s pants the rest of the way off, the sudden chill from losing Sasuke’s body heat caused him to shiver again, but he didn’t have time to miss the heat as Sasuke settled his weight back over Naruto. Their lips met in a clash of teeth and tongues, licking each other up like they tasted like ambrosia—honestly Naruto couldn’t think of anything that tasted better than his lover.

Sasuke’s expert fingers continued to pump Naruto's cock as his other hand circled around his entrance; Naruto could only spread his legs wider and arch up into his boyfriend, his own hands moving to roam over Sasuke’s back and card into feather-soft black hair.

Naruto dug his nails into Sasuke’s scalp—knowing _exactly_ how much his boyfriend loved that particular touch—as Sasuke finally sunk his well-lubed finger into him. Naruto’s head rolled back as Sasuke slipped his finger in and out rapidly, the hand pumping Naruto’s cock speeding up to match the same rhythm. Naruto’s hand slipped down to Sasuke’s perfect ass and gave it a hard squeeze, hard enough to leave a few marks—Sasuke just growled and licked into Naruto’s mouth again, their tongues battling for supremacy. Sasuke won that particular fight when he slipped in another finger and curved up to press against Naruto’s prostate.

“Fuck, Sas hurry up!” Naruto gasped out, practically high on endorphins. He had never _ever_ begged in bed before, and he was by absolutely no means a blushing virgin; he had topped and bottomed and been with both sexes (once even at the same time), but the chemistry between him and Sasuke melted his mind. He still never uttered the word _please_ while in bed, but so help him, with Sasuke he’d come pretty fucking close.

Sasuke’s groan nearly undid him. When his lover slipped in a third finger and whispered in Naruto’s ear, “Ride me, Naru…” Naruto all but jumped his lover. They both shuddered when Naruto flipped their positions and took Sasuke’s cock to line him up with his entrance. Naruto had to force himself to roll his hips down and take in Sasuke slowly, he was dying to have his boyfriend thrusting up into him, but Sasuke wasn’t exactly _small—_ far from it, if Naruto was being honest. Naruto focused on breathing as he worked to take all of his lover; Sasuke played his nimble fingers over Naruto’s head, slipping over and into his slit. Naruto moaned and jerked his hips down, finally bottoming out. Sasuke’s hips jerked a little before he could stop himself and Naruto blew out a harsh breath, but the pain was quickly receding, and he gently began to roll his hips. Sasuke’s hands moved to his ass and squeezed as Naruto picked up the pace. They were in such perfect sync—each of Naruto’s rolls were met with Sasuke’s thrusts—that it didn’t take long before Naruto felt his balls tightening as pleasure short circuited his muscles. His hips fell out of rhythm as he found release but Sasuke just kept thrusting through his orgasm, leaving Naruto a whimpering mess—he _really_ hoped these private suites were soundproofed (they are not).

Naruto licked into Sasuke’s mouth as he felt his boyfriend’s thrusts lose their rhythm and the heat of his lover’s orgasm filled him up. Sasuke broke the kiss on a harsh breath and rested his forehead against Naruto’s.

Naruto hummed happily; his body gloriously sore in all the right places. He tangled his fingers into those thick black locks he loved so much, “Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got, _teme._ I said I had plans for the next fourteen hours, remember?” Sasuke laughed softly and nipped at Naruto’s bottom lip.

“That mouth of yours is going to get you into some serious trouble,” Sasuke retorted, his eyes lit with a sweet warmth that always managed to make Naruto’s heart pitter in a profoundly stupid way.

“God, I hope so,” Naruto replied, unable to stop the brilliant smile that pulled his kiss-swollen lips over his teeth.

.

.

.

Naruto buried his face in the crook of Sasuke’s neck, his pulse finally starting to slow as he came down from his orgasm-induced high.

“You’re really worried about him, aren’t you?” Naruto murmured and glanced up from where he rested his head on Sasuke’s shoulder to look into his lover’s gorgeously dark eyes—now half-lidded with well-sated pleasure. Sasuke absently traced patterns on the leg Naruto still had wrapped around his waist.

“Itachi can handle himself.” Naruto gently pushed Sasuke off so he could grab the poor complimentary face towel that they had been using to mop up their cum—Naruto planned on leaving a ridiculous tip and an apology note in the suite before they left and smuggling the towel into his carry-on. He reached over and slipped on those silk pajamas he’d been eyeing earlier, hissing a little as the fabric slid over his still-sensitive flesh.

“But?” Naruto prompted as Sasuke slid a hand behind his head and glared up at the ceiling, uncaring of his own nudity—it’s absurd how sexy the bastard looked all pleasure-drunk and sated.

“He’s intentionally keeping me in the dark. Every time I try to get anything out of him, he shuts me down completely.” Sasuke huffed out a sigh and slipped his own pajama pants on before pulling Naruto back down onto the luxuriously soft bed.

“I’m sure Itachi has his reasons. He’d never keep anything from you without some kind of justification.” Naruto breathed in Sasuke’s scent, an oddly delicate mix of sandalwood and something that reminded Naruto of thunderstorms and rain. His body started feeling heavier, sleep edging around his consciousness as his body relaxed completely.

“I know…” Sasuke replied softly, gently pulling Naruto closer, their legs intertwining into the familiar position they slept in almost every night. Naruto’s heartbeat fully settled as he pushed back into Sasuke’s embrace and clasped their hands loosely together.

“It’ll be fine…” Naruto yawned, “we’ll figure it all out.” Sleep pulled him under, but not so far that he didn’t feel Sasuke’s soft kiss to the back of his neck. Naruto’s last conscious thought was that this flight might have spoiled him—how would he ever be able to suffer through another flight without being wrapped in his boyfriend’s arms?

.

.

.

Haneda Airport took Naruto’s breath away, mostly because it didn’t _seem_ like an airport—at least, not the average airport. Once they disembarked, Naruto looked out to the tarmac and was all but blinded by the sea of colors. Dozens of brilliantly painted jets were maneuvering around the space; there was even a giant _Pikachu_ getting ready to takeoff, and that was only the beginning— _Hello Kitty_ was fighting with a stylized turtle for access to the adjoining terminal! Sasuke had already arranged to have their luggage delivered to the hotel (like the obsessive planner he is), so they left the terminals and stepped into a Japanese wonderland. The entire first floor was a traditionally styled series of restaurants and shops called the Edo Market; Naruto flitted around like a butterfly on crack. Not even Sasuke’s condescending smirk could diminish the giant smile that bisected Naruto’s face.

He animatedly spoke with shopkeepers, admiring the random knickknacks and keepsakes as he wandered around. Naruto paused as he found the KitKat section; there were literally dozens of flavors he had never even heard of and when he spotted the soft green box of _matcha_ flavored sweets, a shit-eating grin took up residence on his face. He immediately bought the treat and threw it at Sasuke, “Look! A sweet even _you_ would like.” Sasuke just rolled his eyes and checked his phone, but Naruto didn’t miss the fact that he slipped the package into his pocket.

Naruto almost lost it when he stepped into the giant toy park—the toy racecar track was _huge._ It took considerable willpower to stop from getting into a competition with the various kids playing on the tracks (he failed and got pulled into a race with a twelve-year-old).

“You’re _such_ a child,” Sasuke rolled his eyes—Naruto thought that they were going to get lodged in the back of his head at this rate—and shook his head in exasperation.

“You’re just bitter because you suck.” Naruto goaded Sasuke until the moody stick-in-the-mud got irritated enough to take up a controller and race him. Naruto’s trash talk knew no bounds as they raced until they both overshot a turn and the cars were flung off the track. Naruto nearly dropped dead from laughing at the scowl that Sasuke got—if his eyes could set things on fire, the little toy car would be nothing but ashes by now.

They continued to wander around the airport until Sasuke pulled him into one of the very luxurious restaurants. Itachi and Konan were supposed to meet them for a early dinner and Naruto couldn’t quite contain his interest in what Itachi’s supposed fiancée would be like.

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for Konan. She was nothing like what Naruto was expecting. For one, she was astoundingly beautiful—which wasn’t the surprising part—what shocked Naruto was the fact that her short, collarbone-length hair was a soft cool grey, so light that it bordered on blue and her eyes were the brightest shade of amber Naruto had ever seen on a human being. She also had a labret piercing just under her lip. Naruto was no stranger to piercings; he had several on both his ears and even a tongue ring that he used to drive Sasuke insane at every opportunity (he’d only just gotten started on the plane), so he knew how much a labret piercing had to have hurt.

If Naruto had to guess at the kind of woman Itachi would marry, it would have been a quiet, proper, and demure young lady, not the striking lioness who smiled softly at Naruto and Sasuke and bowed politely in greeting.

“Naruto, it’s very nice to finally meet you. I’m so glad you and Sasuke could make it to the ceremony.” Konan’s voice was quiet and a little breathy, but strong, resolute; her eyes were lit with a fierce fire, a determination that gave Naruto pause. She turned those bright eyes to Sasuke, a soft warmth taking the place of some of that intense fire, “I’ve missed you, Sasuke. It’s been far too long since we last got to see each other.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Konan,” Naruto had to force his eyes off of the remarkably short woman to look at the tall, black-clad figure behind her. Itachi’s presence was just as intense as Naruto remembered, despite the fact that the elder Uchiha brother smiled gently at Naruto. “And it’s good to see you again, Itachi.”

“Naruto, I trust you’ve been taking good care of my little brother?” A bit of deviousness lit up Itachi’s dark eyes as they both turned to look at the scowl on Sasuke’s face.

Naruto snorted, “Oh yeah, you know he’s a real damsel in distress who needs my constant protection.” The growl that Sasuke loosed was matched only by the glare he leveled at Naruto, but the soft laugh that came from Konan stopped Sasuke before he could bite off Naruto’s head.

“Oh my, you really are the perfect match for Sasuke, aren’t you?” Naruto blushed and laughed nervously, taken aback as he rubbed the back of his neck at the unexpected comment. Naruto could handle any crass jibe or rude insult or sarcastic retort, but Konan had all but called him Sasuke’s soulmate with a completely straight face; he had no idea how to reply to that.

Naruto cleared his throat and watched as Sasuke and Itachi had one of their legendary stare downs. Itachi just smiled gently, almost knowingly, as Sasuke tried to muster up every bit of cold ruthlessness inside him and convey it into his eyes. It just made Itachi’s smile wider.

“Careful _otouto,_ or you’ll get wrinkles from frowning so much. I’d hate for Naruto to be stuck with a boyfriend who prematurely aged his own pretty face.” Sasuke scoffed so hard Naruto thought he might have actually hurt his own lungs. Naruto caught Konan’s eye and they both ended up laughing at the two brothers. She smiled and pulled Naruto to the small but elegant table she and Itachi had been sitting at when they entered.

“Come on, they could keep this up for hours and I’m sure you’re hungry after such a long flight.” Naruto found himself charmed by Konan despite himself; regardless of Sasuke’s reservations, Naruto liked this small, fierce woman who smiled as openly as she laughed. Naruto had always been a good judge of character, and though he sensed many complex layers beneath her kind veneer, he couldn’t help but think that she had a good heart.

Sasuke finally gave up on trying to intimidate his older brother and sat down, “It’s good to see you again, Konan. How have you been?” Sasuke’s words were outwardly polite, but you’d have to be a complete moron to miss the derisiveness in his tone. Naruto silently kicked his boyfriend in the shin; he wouldn’t let Sasuke verbally fillet the poor woman just because of his intense brother complex. Though, judging from the knowing smile she sent Sasuke, she’d probably be more than capable of handling a pissy Sasuke.

“I’ve been very well, Sasuke. Though, perhaps, not as well as you. I understand that you’ve recently gone public with one of your startups. Are you confident in the investment bank you’ve chosen?” Naruto couldn’t help but think _Oh, she’s_ **good**. If you wanted to grab Sasuke’s attention, questioning his business decisions was probably at the top of the list—unless you were Naruto, who could steal Sasuke’s entire focus by simply stripping. Naruto relaxed as Sasuke and Konan descended into business jargon that for all Naruto understood could have been plans to colonize mars. Itachi smiled at Naruto and pointed out a few items on the menu that he thought Naruto might enjoy. Naruto could hardly contain his excitement—not only was he _starving_ (despite having eaten at every small convenient-style restaurant in the market) but he was also thrilled to try some of the more traditional spreads the classy restaurant advertised. Sasuke paused in his intense discussion with Konan to order Naruto a beer that would complement his food really well. Naruto just grinned and asked Itachi how his own business ventures were doing—he wouldn’t understand a lick of Itachi’s response, but it’s the thought that counts. Besides, he _had_ picked up a thing or two from being with Sasuke for so long (he really hadn’t).

Watching Naruto light up like a Christmas tree did ridiculous things to Sasuke. Naruto soaked up the shops and people and atmosphere like an extra-excited sponge and every time he shot Sasuke that absurdly huge smile, Sasuke couldn’t help but smile back—though he did his best to mask it under an exasperated scowl. Sasuke certainly couldn’t hold back the self-satisfied grin he got when Naruto groaned after tasting the beer Sasuke had ordered that would complement his _wagyu_ beef. Itachi’s eyes zeroed in on Sasuke’s smile and the unholy smirk that took up residence on his older brother’s face was the closest Sasuke had ever seen to a shit-eating grin there. It did not amuse him.

“Enjoying the beer, Naruto?” Itachi asked, still looking at Sasuke with ungodly mirth.

“I think I’ve been ruined for Japanese food. Manhattan has so many amazing restaurants, but this is just crazy.” If Naruto noticed the charged battle Sasuke and Itachi were waging, he chose to ignore it in favor of devouring his food. A wise decision, given that Naruto had a tendency to annoy Sasuke just as much, if not even more so, than his brother. When the two teamed up, Sasuke was certain he lost several years off his lifespan from irritation alone.

“Do you like New York, Naruto?” Sasuke eyes snapped to Konan so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. That was a very discretely _pointed_ question, one which Sasuke did not appreciate her asking.

Naruto, the oblivious moron who had wormed his way into Sasuke’s heart, didn’t bat an eyelash at the seemingly mundane inquiry.

“Of course. It’s one of the best cities I’ve ever lived and worked in. Being a professor at NYU can be a little tedious sometimes but I really enjoy watching my students grow as artists. Several have been really successful since graduation and I still get the occasional e-mail or two asking for my opinion on a work in progress.” Sasuke very carefully kept his expression blank, knowing full-well that Itachi was analyzing every square inch of his face for any sign of how Sasuke felt about Naruto loving New York. Instead, Sasuke focused on Konan.

 _She’s different now,_ the thought stuck in Sasuke’s head as he watched the amber-eyed woman gently extract information from Naruto like a professional investigator. It wasn’t just the piercing, or the brunette-hair now dyed an eye-catching grey. There was a fire in her eyes that Sasuke hadn’t remembered observing the last time he’d seen her—about nine years ago in an article about a business in Japan that had sought to compete with one of the many Uchiha companies. The small business had immediately been overwhelmed and sunk down to the depths of nothing where the rest of the companies that went up against any of the Uchiha businesses went to die quietly. Sasuke might not have wanted his family’s help with building his own repertoire, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t respect that ruthlessness with which his family dealt with competitors.

“As lovely as this early dinner has been, Naruto and I did just get off of a fourteen-hour flight. Jet lag will be setting in relatively soon and I’d appreciate being in my hotel room when it does.” Sasuke signaled for the server to bring over the check.

“Oh? Did you have trouble sleeping on the plane, Sasuke? You normally take precautions to avoid jet lag.” Sasuke bristled and almost gave in to the urge to verbally rip into his brother for not even trying to be subtle anymore, but then it hit him that even Itachi didn’t normally try to get under his skin this much. For all that his brother enjoyed poking at Sasuke’s temper, he didn’t usually waste _all_ his time on pointlessly harassing his little brother.

Itachi must have noticed the sudden suspicion in Sasuke’s look, because he immediately followed with, “Then again, Naruto has never flown international before, so I’m sure he’ll be experiencing some jet lag soon.”

Itachi waved off Sasuke’s attempt to pay for the meal and they left the restaurant shortly after.

“Naruto, being this is your first time in Tokyo, I’d love to show you around a bit. Perhaps tomorrow when you’ve had the chance to rest?” Konan easily fit her dainty hand onto Naruto’s arm, readily adapting and playing into Naruto’s casual use of familiar touches. She somehow managed to walk the thin line of flirting and being friendly and Naruto ate it up like a cat high on catnip.

“I’m sure you’re far too busy with the wedding preparations to spare any time on a tourist, but if you find some time tomorrow feel free to let me know,” Naruto smiled and gently squeezed Konan’s hand, but his eyes had a bit of a spark to them now, a bite that appeared when Naruto either got irritated or suspicious. That look sent a rush of heat to Sasuke’s cock—the blond really had no idea how sexy he could be. Then again, judging by the arched brow he shot over his shoulder to Sasuke, maybe he did.

“Of course,” she nodded, and they exchanged phone numbers—Sasuke had made sure to convert Naruto’s plan to take international calls before they left, though he’d deny any involvement if his boyfriend asked. He already accused Sasuke of being a habitual over-planner, he didn’t need to know exactly _how much_ Sasuke had thought ahead.

“Would you like a ride to the Peninsula?” Itachi asked, his gaze a lot more frigid than it had been earlier. His older brother probably appreciated Sasuke being booted out of the family estate as much as Sasuke did. Maybe more if he read the glint in Itachi’s eyes right. Their father would be dealing with a very fractious Itachi for the foreseeable future.

“We’re fine, there’s already a private car waiting for us.” Sasuke pointedly ignored the derisive snort that Naruto released.

“I really should stop being surprised by your incessant need to plan out every second of your life.” Naruto rolled his eyes as he waved Itachi and Konan off and Sasuke led him over to the line of taxis waiting at the arrival terminal. It only took a moment to find the car Sasuke had arranged, the sleek black vehicle stood out amongst the quaint and humble mini vans that filled most of the line.

“I know you were just using jet lag as an excuse to get away, but I actually could do with some rest. I don’t normally feel so tired after a flight but crossing so many time zones must have taken a toll on me.” Naruto rubbed at his eyes, looking a lot more tired than he had earlier. Sasuke quietly told the driver to hurry as Naruto tried to smother a yawn.

By the time they got to the penthouse suite, Naruto was rubbing his temples and refusing to take pain medication for his obvious headache.

“I’ll be fine after some sleep.” Naruto waved off Sasuke and accused him of mother henning him, but his boyfriend was out before he even got under the covers. Sasuke rolled his eyes and threw the blankets over his lover before unpacking his suitcase and checking to make sure his companies hadn’t burned to the ground yet—he expected them to make it at least two days before the panicked calls started blowing up his phone.

When he finally looked up from his laptop, he realized he’d been working for several hours and his eyes were hurting from the strain. He’d have to look into getting glasses soon, he used to be able to go for almost a full day without his eyes aching. As he slipped into bed, Naruto unconsciously pulled him closer, mumbling something about Sasuke being cold. Sasuke rather enjoyed being welcomed into a warm bed, but he’d never admit that out loud. He was asleep before he even really understood his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I live off of kudos and comments so please feed my incessant need for approval 😂


	3. [spilt water cannot return to the container]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More NaruSasu fluff! (I'm not even sorry anymore)  
> Naruto and Gaara finally meet up and we get to hear how the rest of the Konoha 11 are doing!  
> We also get some wholesome Sas/Ita/Shi love as I (finally) bring Shisui in.  
> Naruto and Gaara leave for the Uchiha family gathering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** *****Trigger Warnings: mentions of homophobia, implied sexual abuse, and suicide/suicidal behavior**  
> **  
>  This chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than one and two, but I can't promise that every chapter will match this length! This is the start of several different things going on in the story, so updates might take a little longer as I try to make sure I don't write myself into any plot holes.

__

_覆水盆に帰らず。 (fukusui bon ni kaerazu) [spilt water cannot return to the container]—once changed, a pair can never go back to as it was_

Naruto woke with the dawn. For as long as he could remember, he had always been a morning person. Even as a kid, he had enjoyed rising with the sun, often keeping Iruka company before his adoptive dad left for work. He liked morning routines, so even after he had moved into his own place he still woke early. Almost every morning, he would go for a run or hit the gym; there was something about maintaining the health of his body that Naruto genuinely enjoyed. If he really thought about it, his exercising habits started when he had met Jiraiya as a teenager. The older man had taught him many different forms of _taijutsu_ and meditation; he’d also been Naruto’s mentor and closest confidant. Iruka had liked to call Jiraiya Naruto’s unofficial godfather, but it hurt to think about that now. The loss of Jiraiya had broken Naruto in ways he didn’t know he could be broken.

There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t miss the old pervert. Naruto thought that Jiraiya would have enjoyed showing Naruto the country he had grown up in, especially the hot springs; Naruto could easily picture the perv sneaking into the women’s side and getting them thrown out or beaten up. Jiraiya had certainly helped Naruto get into just as much trouble as he had helped Naruto build his career. For all that Jiraiya had been a womanizer, he had also been a successful writer—of both pornography _and_ literary masterpieces—he had opened doors for Naruto and jumpstarted his career. It was because of Jiraiya that Naruto had gone from a delinquent street tagger to a renowned artist whose works went for millions.

Perhaps it was the melancholy of remembering the bittersweet memories of Jiraiya, but Naruto couldn’t help but burrow closer to Sasuke, admiring the beautiful face that was softened by sleep. As much as Naruto loved the morning, Sasuke loved the night. Naruto wouldn’t be surprised if Sasuke had spent half the evening working, so he let his boyfriend sleep in and marveled at the face that attracted so many people. In sleep, Sasuke’s features were softened so much that he looked considerably younger than his actual age, almost boyish. Naruto smiled and gently caressed Sasuke’s silky hair out of his face; Sasuke was such a light sleeper that he normally would have woken at the slightest touch, but he just sighed and slept on, relaxing into Naruto’s caress.

Naruto’s fingers were itching to draw the scene, so he quietly slipped out of bed and dug through his bag for his sketchpad. He had once been embarrassed by how many pages were filled with images of Sasuke, but Naruto couldn’t find it in himself to feel flustered over it anymore; his boyfriend and lover was quite simply beautiful, but it wasn’t just the way his exquisite features made up his face. Naruto liked to capture the smaller nuances, like the way he didn’t fuss over his hair—it was messily strewn about his forehead—or the way his eyebrows twitched slightly as he drifted up from deep sleep, or the way his mouth was just slightly open as he breathed deeply.

Naruto stretched after finishing the quick drawing, finally taking in his surroundings. He had been feeling like shit warmed over when they got to their suite, so he hadn’t noticed just how absurdly luxurious it was; it was even bigger than the apartment he and Sasuke shared in Manhattan (not by much). Naruto rolled his eyes at the grand piano in the living room—why the hell would they need a grand piano? Though Naruto immediately paused when he imagined Sasuke bent over the gorgeous instrument and he suddenly felt a lot less indifferent towards the piece. Naruto made a mental note to make use of the piano later and strolled over to the room with large bay windows that overlooked a huge garden.

He suddenly felt restless and changed into some long-sleeved workout clothes and leggings, excited to go for a run as the sun was fully rising despite the lingering chill in the air as winter faded into spring. He paused right before leaving and wrote Sasuke a quick note just in case he woke up before Naruto got back. He left the small piece of paper on the pillow and hesitated before pressing a light kiss to his lover’s forehead. Naruto rolled his eyes at his own cheesy display of affection, but he couldn’t help it; the bastard was just so damn endearing when he was sleeping soundly. You’d never guess from looking at Sasuke now that his default expression was an annoyed scowl.

Sasuke was not a morning person. He never had been—Itachi liked to remind him that Sasuke had liked to stubbornly cling to his brother as a child in the hopes of sleeping in longer. But he wasn’t a toddler anymore, and he had forced himself to grow accustomed to waking early, after all he had several businesses to run and there weren’t enough hours in the day for Sasuke to waste them on sleep. However, he had spent half the night putting out several small fires before they could grow and he had been lulled into a deep sleep by Naruto’s delicious warmth—the blond was a veritable furnace and Sasuke had always suffered from being too cold at night (hence the clinging to Itachi), no matter how many blankets he piled on.

So, Sasuke couldn’t help but grumble angrily when he reached out and found nothing but cold sheets. He forced his sleep-heavy eyes to crack open and check for the annoying idiot who had left him shivering. His eyes fell on the piece of paper that had obviously been ripped out of Naruto’s sketchbook. Sasuke focused his bleary eyes on the borderline unintelligible scrawl on the paper—his lover was a great artist, but his handwriting was _atrocious._ He was considering how best to repay Naruto for leaving him shivering and alone in their bed when he realized he smelled the delicious scent of coffee wafting through the air. His irritation immediately dissipated.

Naruto walked in with two steaming cups of coffee in his hands, a towel loosely tied around his waist. His hair was still damp and tiny droplets dripped onto his lightly tanned skin—Sasuke was torn between watching the water’s path down Naruto’s collarbone and eyeing the coffee that smelled like ambrosia (the droplet won).

“I figured the coffee would get your attention,” Naruto laughed and handed Sasuke a gloriously big mug of dark brown liquid; the blend was exquisitely smooth and Sasuke downed half of it in one swig. Naruto smiled and sipped at his own mug; the coffee in it was so diluted that it looked like nothing more than discolored milk. Sasuke didn’t understand why he even bothered drinking the disgrace he dared call coffee—there was so little espresso in it that he wouldn’t receive any of the benefits of caffeine. Then again, Naruto had enough energy without a caffeine boost, Sasuke wouldn’t want to deal with a hyper, jittery, caffeine-high version of the blond.

“Enjoy your run?” Sasuke watched Naruto rub out the water that still clung to his hair, a few droplets splashing Sasuke in the process. He barely noticed, as his attention was quickly hijacked by the towel hanging so precariously over Naruto’s narrow hips.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke’s blatantly explicit gaze and took the mug from him, placing both their drinks on the nightstand as he leaned in and kissed Sasuke. It was slow and soft and oddly subdued for the blond; Sasuke got the strange impression that Naruto was feeling a little melancholic this morning. Sasuke carded his fingers into the damp blond strands and pulled back, just enough to meet Naruto’s vividly blue eyes, “What’s wrong?” Naruto was the most annoyingly exuberant and high-spirited person Sasuke had ever met, which is why it had taken him a while to realize that Naruto has a tendency to mask his own pain under a false smile. Sasuke had been surprised when he realized how good Naruto was at hiding his own inner demons—he was so open and honest most of the time, especially in his art—but Sasuke had taken the time to learn every facet of Naruto’s expressions. He knew when the blond put on a happy veneer for someone else’s sake; he’d thought that Naruto had stopped doing that with him, but evidently, he had been wrong.

“It’s nothing…” Naruto glanced away and sighed before meeting his gaze again, “I just woke up thinking about Jiraiya this morning. I miss the old pervert—he would have liked me coming to Japan to explore some of my heritage.” Sasuke knew a lot about Jiraiya—he had been the literary icon that had discovered Naruto when he was still a teenager, and Naruto talked about him pretty often. His boyfriend had told him dozens of stories about Jiraiya, but he never talked about what the loss of his mentor and friend had done to him; Naruto focused on the happy memories he and Jiraiya had made and very few people got to see the bruises in his eyes over the loss.

“I don’t have to meet with Itachi until this afternoon. We have some time to walk around the city.” Sasuke was already mentally making a list of the closest places Naruto might enjoy seeing.

Naruto smiled and kissed him again, “No one ever believes me when I tell them you’re actually a giant softie. Oh wait, since we’re in Japan the correct term is _tsundere!”_

“Say that again and I’ll leave you in _Shibuya_ crossing.” The glare Sasuke gave Naruto had sent veteran businessmen fleeing in panic—Naruto just grinned and rolled his eyes.

“You know I’d find you no matter where you tried to ditch me.” The damned thing was, Sasuke knew he would too. Naruto would always find him, no matter what separated them. Sasuke nipped his boyfriend’s bottom lip and left to take a quick shower.

.

.

.

The morning passed too quickly. All too soon, Sasuke was leading Naruto to the most popular ramen bar in the city for lunch. Sasuke enjoyed watching Naruto surprise the locals every time he opened his mouth—he appeared so very foreign with his bright blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, and brilliant blond hair, but he spoke the language like a native. Sasuke almost lost count of the amount of times Naruto spoke to someone and received shocked, wide-eyed replies; or he would have, if he didn’t have eidetic memory.

It stopped being amusing when the server at the Michelin star restaurant blushed at Naruto and told him, “Your accent is so wonderful! Where are you from?”

Naruto just laughed and smiled at the young girl, “Ah, I’m actually from New York City. Is my accent really heavy?” It never surprised Sasuke how many people were drawn to Naruto; Sasuke had grown up lavished with admiring looks but he’d never drawn people in the way Naruto did. Naruto had a raw charisma Sasuke had never seen before that was only strengthened by his self-confidence and brazenness; his temerity and cheekiness were just the cherry on top of a very attractive sundae.

Sasuke pointedly tuned their conversation out in favor of looking through his emails until he heard a quiet gasp.

“You’re here for Uchiha Itachi’s wedding?” The girl’s eyes finally fell on Sasuke and she must have seen the rather obvious family resemblance because she immediately bowed politely and stammered, “I’m…I’m so sorry, please excuse my rudeness Uchiha- _sama._ Please, enjoy your meal and let me know if there’s anything I can get you.” She hastily backed away and fled to the kitchen

“Uh Sas…what the hell was that?” Naruto looked at Sasuke like he had grown a second head. Sasuke would normally find that look funny, but he was worried Naruto wouldn’t take learning just how influential the Uchiha family is very well. After all, the blond had practically made it his life’s goal to stick his middle finger up to the “snobby upper-class elitists.”

“My family has a lot of influence in Tokyo.” Sasuke had spent his entire life being gawked at and fawned over with respect that bordered on worship merely for being the son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha—for being Madara Uchiha’s chosen heir to one of the oldest and most powerful families in Japan. That was the entire reason he had left for New York—he didn’t want or need his family’s help to find success, and he had worked his ass off to prove that. His businesses were still small in comparison to the massive Uchiha enterprises, but his family had spent hundreds of years building their empire; for having only had roughly a decade to build his career, Sasuke had achieved a great deal of success. Not every twenty-seven-year-old could claim to have created three thriving startups from nothing.

Sasuke didn’t want to ride on the coattails of his family’s name, but he certainly knew he had inherited the Uchiha family pride. The pride in finding success on his own was something he had in common with Naruto—the time Sasuke had spent in New York was the time that Naruto’s career was hitting its peak. There wasn’t a single socialite in the city who hadn’t heard of the talented young artist making ripples wherever he went. It wasn’t just the raw sexual pull that had interested Sasuke in the blond; Naruto understood what it was to work against a stereotype, after all no one had expected a poor, orphaned street tagging delinquent to make it in New York’s exclusive artist community. Naruto chewed up that stereotype and spit it back into the face of New York City’s most elite bluebloods—Sasuke thought that it had been one of the sexiest things he’d ever witnessed.

“So, you and your family are like…celebrities?” Naruto blinked at Sasuke for a moment before he erupted into a fit of laughter.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his lover, “Why, _exactly_ , is that so funny?”

Naruto was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, “I’m just…” he couldn’t even get another word in before he started laughing again, “I’m just picturing you leaving Japan and the tabloids making you out to be some kind of prissy debutante running away from home.” Sasuke _tsk’_ d and rolled his eyes, mostly because there actually had been several articles that depicted Sasuke’s “defection” as some kind of sordid affair. He should have known Naruto would just laugh at the Uchiha family reputation.

“Oh man…that’s fantastic. And here I was worried about you getting irritated at my fans for asking for pictures and stuff when you must have grown up with that kind of crap,” Naruto wiped away a tear and dug into his bowl of ramen, immediately getting sidetracked by the food. Sasuke didn’t mention the fact that it had been one of Naruto’s fans that had leaked their relationship to a trashy tabloid in Manhattan. That article had alerted both Fugaku and Itachi to their relationship, hence Itachi’s sudden appearance in New York. Fugaku, however, had all but ordered Sasuke to return to Tokyo, to which Sasuke definitively refused. Even in the messy, early stages of their relationship, Sasuke had known he wanted to see things through to its end with Naruto. Sasuke still kept a close eye on the tabloids and social media to make sure something like that didn’t happen again—the barista who had caught them at the small café in the East Village had been dealt with before he’d even gotten in a taxi. As long as Naruto’s groupies didn’t sell their pictures to magazines hellbent on destroying their relationship, Sasuke didn’t give a damn what they posted—he’d never hide his relationship with Naruto, but he’d be damned before he let worthless outside opinions taint what he cared about or misrepresent what was going on between him and Naruto.

“Ahh! What do they do to the broth here to make it taste so good? I wonder if I can convince Ayame at Ichiraku in Murray Hill to try something different…” Naruto continued to devour several more bowls of ramen, lamenting the fact that he couldn’t send some to his favorite ramen foodies in Manhattan—the friendship he had with the head chef of Manhattan’s most popular ramen bar and his daughter intrigued Sasuke; Naruto really could make friends with anyone, including Michelin star chefs in arguably the most culturally diverse city in the United States. Sasuke quietly asked for the recipe and ordered a car service to take them to the Sabaku family home. The subway would have been more efficient, but he was already tired of being around people; and if he wanted a few more quiet moments with his boyfriend, then that was his business.

As their car pulled into the swanky detached house that was the Sabaku family residence, Naruto was practically vibrating out of his skin with excitement. It had been three long years since he had seen his best friend, and even though they had stayed in contact as often as they could, he still missed Gaara. Naruto cupped Sasuke’s cheek and kissed the life out of him, surprising his boyfriend; he’d known Sasuke had allowed Naruto to drag him around tourist destinations all morning just because Naruto woke up feeling a little wistful. He wasn’t good at thankyous, but he knew how to show his lover how much he cared about him; he broke the deep kiss and gave Sasuke another quick peck.

“I’ll ask Gaara to drop me off at your family’s house tonight for the party,” Sasuke pulled him back before Naruto could open the door and licked his way into his mouth, drawing a moan out of both of them. Naruto really wished they had more time to indulge in each other, but he didn’t want to keep Gaara waiting and he knew that Sasuke needed to meet with Itachi to hopefully figure out what the hell was going on with his brother.

“Don’t be late,” Sasuke whispered into the intimate space between them where their breaths mixed. Naruto released a small _hmm_ and lightly brushed his nose against his lover’s; it was so incredibly cheesy but how the hell was he supposed to be anything but enamored with the man who, despite hating crowds, let Naruto drag him all over the busiest places in Tokyo?

Naruto couldn’t stop the silly smile that bloomed on his face when he finally stepped out of the vehicle. When he saw Gaara step out of the doorway to greet him, he lunged at the redhead and pulled him into the biggest hug he could muster, lifting his friend up and spinning him around a little. Gaara was by no means light—he had hard muscle packed all over his body—but Naruto lifted him up like he weighed no more than a feather.

“Gaara! God, I’ve missed you!” Gaara hated casual physical contact, but he always made an exception for Naruto; after all, their bond went a lot deeper than skin.

“Naruto, have you been well?” Gaara’s voice was as deep and raspy as ever, but Naruto could hear the fondness in his tone. Their friendship had changed both of them during a time when they’d both been drowning in sorrow.

“I’m great, Gaara, really.” It still kind of amazed Naruto how true that statement was—he honestly was doing great, as far from the lonely, dejected teenager he’d once been as humanly possible.

“Was that your boyfriend just now?” Gaara gave a distinctly leery look at the car that was pulling away. Naruto just laughed at Gaara’s protectiveness; he knew that if he ever needed anything, his best friend would be there for him.

“Easy there. Don’t get all protective on my account,” Naruto loved his best friend, but he knew that the redhead was terrifying to most people; even Sasuke might pause at facing a pissed off Gaara.

“Judging from the state of your lips, you don’t really need any protecting.” Naruto looked over Gaara’s shoulder and met Temari’s teasing smile.

“Temari! I thought you’d be busy attending Tokyo’s fashion week events,” Temari’s teasing smile turned savage so quickly Naruto actually feared for his life. With the spring came Tokyo’s fashion week, and with fashion week came one of Naruto’s closest friends. Shikamaru Nara was one of the world’s most reclusive and venerated fashion designers. Naruto had grown up with him, having attended the same elementary school. He had befriended the lazy genius and stayed in close contact with him; Shika was the smartest person Naruto had ever met—demonstrated most remarkably by the fact that Shikamaru had created an entire career around his laziness, which he passed off as “exclusive”. Shikamaru produced maybe a dozen new designs in a year and each one goes for millions; he was the most coveted designer in the industry. However, the relationship Shikamaru had with Gaara’s sister was… _complicated._ Naruto had introduced Shikamaru to Temari back when he and Shika were fresh out of high school and causing chaos wherever they went. No one really understood what had happened between the pair, but Shikamaru flinched whenever he heard her name and Temari turned red whenever he was brought up. Naruto had yet to figure out if her red face was from embarrassment or…something else; he wisely kept the fact that he had caught them fucking in Naruto’s rally car after a race to himself.

“Careful, Naruto. You know how she gets when you bring up you-know-who.” Kankuro came up and patted Naruto on the back. Naruto just laughed and followed the siblings into their home, basking in the warmth of being around his friends. He always made sure to keep up with his friends (he texted everyone at least once a week), but it had been a while since he had been able to get together with anyone. Everyone was doing well in their careers and scattered around the world, though Kiba, Hinata, and Neji had all settled around different parts of New York.

Kiba was an accomplished veterinarian in Brooklyn, Hinata was a successful psychiatrist in Queens, Neji had just become the chief surgeon of New York Presbyterian hospital, Tenten was on a trip to China collecting various historic weapons for her high-end antiquity shop, Lee and Guy were taking the fitness world by storm with their intense exercise regimes and energetic gyms, Choji had just finished celebrating both his first Michelin star and the birth of his daughter, and Shino was in the Amazon studying…some kind of bug with too many syllables for Naruto to be able to pronounce—he was really well-known in the entomology field. Naruto was proud of his friends, not just because they collectively made a veritable A-list of successful VIPs, but because they had all pursued their own passions. They had all come a long way from high school, but Naruto was most proud of the fact that they all continued to stay in contact with each other despite the time and distance; it’s not easy maintaining friendships as you get older, but they remained close to one another, mostly because Naruto acted as the string that pulled them together.

“So, is everything settled with your father now?” Naruto accepted the tea Temari all but flung at him and settled into the plushy recliner in Gaara’s living room. The house was really nice and reminded Naruto of the super fancy penthouse apartments in Manhattan; he could see Temari’s decorative touch in the sheer number of painted fans everywhere—there was a theory among their friends that Shikamaru had gifted her a fan for her birthday every year, and if Naruto remembered his friend’s handwriting correctly, then he could confirm that conjecture—there was a huge hand-painted fan hanging up in the living room with Japanese calligraphy on it; the _kanji_ for tornado looked really beautiful in Shikamaru’s handwriting.

“It’s done. All the Sabaku family members who had ties with the _yakuza_ have been arrested. They’ll be spending the rest of their lives in prison.” Gaara’s gaze turned harsh and cold and Naruto put down his tea to grasp the redhead’s hand. Gaara had always had a complicated relationship with his family; Naruto still didn’t know everything that had happened between Gaara and his father, but he knew enough. He’d seen Gaara at his lowest, gangbanging in the Bronx as he tried to outrun his father’s violence. They’d met shortly after Naruto had lost Jiraiya—he’d only been eighteen and had fallen back to his troublemaking ways. Shikamaru and Kiba did their best to keep Naruto from descending into anything too dangerous but Naruto really lost his way. He’d started driving rally and competing in illegal races, not for the money but because he had so much pent-up anger and hatred inside him, so much bitterness from losing his mentor. Shikamaru had learned to read and take rally-notes and had become Naruto’s navigator; Kiba had always been a pretty decent mechanic and maintained their car—they’d been a pretty good crew and had become somewhat well-known in the circuits.

“I’m glad it’s finally over. Are you handling the family businesses now?” Naruto knew the Sabaku family had become mostly synonymous with the _yakuza,_ but they did still have several legitimate businesses, especially in the finance sector. A lot of it had been a front for money laundering and drug trafficking but there were a few smaller businesses that Naruto knew Gaara was working to salvage.

“Temari and Kankuro are handling everything on the business side but I’ve taken my father’s place as family head, so I have to make the final decisions.” Temari and Kankuro both had their MBAs, mostly because their father had wanted to groom them to take over the legitimate businesses, so Naruto knew Gaara had all the help he would need in that area, but no one could help take the burden of leading his family off his shoulders.

“You know if you ever need anything, I’m here.” Naruto didn’t know a single goddamned thing about running a business or leading a family, but he knew how to be there for his friend. Whatever Gaara needed, Naruto would find a way to provide it.

“I know…thank you, Naruto. If it wasn’t for you, I never would have come back to finish things with my father.” Gaara gave Naruto a small smile and moved his hand so that it covered Naruto’s; from the redhead, that was practically a bear-hug. Naruto beamed back at him and moved the conversation to lighter topics, mostly just catching Gaara up on Naruto’s life in New York. He had dozens of stories from being a professor at NYU—college students are a different breed of human and their antics amuse Naruto to no end. He’d also had several patrons commission works from him and he was currently working on a piece for a charity event in Brooklyn to fundraise for a youth art school. They talked for most of the afternoon until evening was lingering on the edges of the day.

“So, you’re here for your boyfriend’s brother’s wedding?” Temari had finally gotten over Naruto bringing up Shikamaru and had endless questions about his relationship.

“Yeah, Sasuke is Itachi’s best man and I’ve always wanted to come to Japan so it all kind of worked out.” Temari had been drinking a glass of wine, but the second she heard the names _Sasuke_ and _Itachi_ , she spit out the entire glass.

“Your boyfriend is _Uchiha Sasuke!?”_ Naruto got the weirdest sense of Déjà vu, the scene from the ramen bar replaying in his head.

“Oh yeah, I forgot his family is kind of famous here.” Naruto wiped up the wine that Temari had spat out, wondering if he’d have to run back to the hotel to change—the red wine stood out pretty harshly on his white cardigan.

“Kind of famous? _Kind of!?_ Naruto, the Uchiha family is like royalty here! Their family goes back _hundreds_ of years, _dozens_ of generations! They practically built Tokyo from the ground up! They’re the landlords of one of the most expensive cities in the world!” Temari looked Naruto up and down as if he was some kind of alien descended upon the earth.

“You’re going to Itachi’s wedding?” Kankuro was usually the more level of the two siblings but even he looked like he’d been run over by a truck. “You’ve _met_ the Uchiha family?”

“Uh…no, not yet anyway. I’m going to the family home for a party this evening. I was kind of hoping for a ride.” Naruto gave up on trying to get the stains out of his cardigan and took off the light garment. He hoped the simple, faded black t-shirt he was wearing would be acceptable attire for the party. Sasuke had said it was just a family gathering.

“You’re meeting the Uchiha family dressed like that!? Oh my God…come with me right now. It’s a good thing you and Gaara are close enough in size to make this work.” Temari all but dragged Naruto to the walk-in closet in Gaara’s room.

“Is this really necessary?” Naruto groaned as Temari began pulling out slacks and button downs; he really hated formal attire. It was so damn confining and uncomfortable. He’d always been given a bit of a pass at formal events, pulling the “eccentric artist” card to get out of dressing up. The most he had given in was the occasional business events Sasuke got dragged to, and even then, he only put on nice pants and a loose Henley.

“Naruto…” Gaara’s concerned voice snapped him out of his complaining. “You’re dating the Uchiha family heir?” His pale green eyes narrowed with what Naruto guessed was wariness, but there was a hint of apprehension in there too.

“Sasuke hasn’t really talked about his family. I don’t know what his family expects of him, but he’s worked for everything he has in New York. I’ve never once seen him rely on his family name to get something done.” Naruto was really proud of Sasuke—he had accomplished a lot in the time he’d been in New York and even though Naruto didn’t understand his businesses or care about how much money Sasuke made, he was proud of his boyfriend’s achievements, especially after learning that he’d walked away from the leisurely path his family had paved for him.

“I understand. I’ve had to learn a lot about running a business in the past three years, so I know just how much Sasuke has accomplished on his own, but Naruto his family is…conservative.” Gaara’s voice was tight, controlled as he said that damn word. Naruto was so sick of hearing it, even if it had come out of best friend’s mouth.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Naruto turned and faced Gaara. He was going to get some answers about all this. “Is everyone tiptoeing around the fact that Sasuke and I are gay? I keep getting told his family is _conservative,_ is that just everyone’s way of saying homophobic?” His temper was rising. He’d dealt with homophobia before, hell there isn’t a gay person alive who hasn’t had some sort of homophobic interaction, but as much as he hated bigotry, he hated slander even more. He could and would make judgements about people based solely on his interactions with them, not based on the opinions of others who had their own beliefs and biases.

“It’s not just that, Naruto. I won’t comment on how they feel about gay relationships because I don’t know how they feel about homosexuality, but I do know that they didn’t become Japan’s oldest and most powerful family through rainbows and sprinkles. That family is as harsh as they come, and the kind of power the Uchiha family has isn’t from money alone. I just want you to be ready for whatever could happen.” Naruto relaxed with a sigh and uncrossed his arms.

“I’m grateful for your protectiveness. Really, I don’t know what I would do without your friendship, but I’m not going to judge Sasuke’s family before meeting them. Even if they do end up being bigoted, narrow-minded assholes, that doesn’t mean Sasuke is. Whatever happens, we’ll work it out.” Naruto wasn’t an idiot, despite what people would say about him. He knew he was going to be judged and scrutinized by Sasuke’s family, but that wouldn’t change how he felt about the man who held his heart. Whatever happened, they would deal with it. He trusted Sasuke to help him navigate whatever was about to be thrown at them.

Gaara sighed and nodded resolutely before grabbing a pitch-black tie to go with the charcoal grey, three-piece suit Temari was putting together. “I’ve also had to learn a thing or two about formal attire in these three years. Let me help.” Naruto sighed but let Temari, Kankuro and Gaara stuff him into the torture device they liked to call “formal attire”. He threw a dark, maroon suit at Gaara and forced his friend into the outfit. If he was being forced to dress up like some kind of doll, he wouldn’t be doing it alone. Besides, his best friend cleaned up really nice.

Naruto winked at the redhead in the mirror, “You’re so pretty Gaara, if I wasn’t already taken, I’d be all over you.” Gaara huffed out a small laugh and just shook his head at him. Naruto knew his friend still had a long way to go before he’d ever feel comfortable being sexually intimate with anyone—you didn’t survive the kind of childhood Gaara had lived without building impenetrable walls of steel around your heart—but his friend had come a long way. Naruto hoped that one day, his friend would find the person who would break down the last of those shields and reach Gaara’s heart. Until then, he’d shower the redhead in affection and friendship, and the occasional flirting.

When Gaara led him to the garage and showed him the vehicle they’d be taking, Naruto almost fainted from pleasure. The matte black Audi Gaara had parked in his garage was a work of _art._ “If I could fuck a car, Gaara, I would fuck this car.” Naruto was all but drooling as he lifted up the door and slipped into the passenger seat. Gaara chuckled and started the vehicle, the purr from the engine just about gave Naruto an orgasm. He had long ago given up rally and keeping his own car in Manhattan is too much of a chore so all he could do was admire the beautiful vehicle that would give him wet dreams for months.

As Gaara slipped through traffic and onto the more open highway, he let the car loose and shifted through the gears like it was second nature. Gaara had always been an amazing rally driver, the best Naruto had ever gone up against. The red glare of the taillights they passed flashed over the tattoo on Gaara’s forehead and Naruto was flung down memory lane. As he glanced away from the road and at Gaara, he remembered the night he had forged a friendship with the “Demon of the Bronx”. Naruto had gone out looking for trouble, anything to distract him from the fact that Jiraiya was gone, that his mentor would never get to see Naruto accomplish his goal. Naruto had ditched Shikamaru and Kiba and rode out to the sketchiest circuit in the area, ready for a fight or a race, whatever got his mind off of his pain.

He and Gaara had been the frontrunners to win, and the competitors used every illegal maneuver they could to throw them off. Naruto and Gaara were too good to fall for the bullshit tactics but one of the racers was still a novice and when he tried to cut Gaara off on a tight drift, he clipped Gaara and sent him into a tailspin. Naruto had been lagging behind, waiting to make his move, so he saw the moment Gaara lost control. He also saw the moment that Gaara decided not to save himself. He let the car crash into the divider. Gaara hadn’t done anything to stop it.

That instant would be forever stuck in Naruto’s head. He would never forget that moment, and he’d never forget understanding why Gaara had decided to do it. In that split-second, Naruto knew that if stayed on that path, one day he might make that same decision. One day, he would choose to not save himself.

Naruto stopped, forfeiting the race, and rushed to pull Gaara out of the destroyed remains of his car. The redhead had still been conscious, bleeding from where the shrapnel had impaled his stomach, he didn’t scream though. He didn’t show any sign of pain as Naruto hauled him out of the wreckage. He just looked at Naruto with desolate eyes and asked him “Why did you save me?” Naruto met that gaze, stared into those pale green eyes that reflected his own pain and loneliness, and told him “Because the pain of being all alone really is too unbearable.” The medics had told Naruto that if he hadn’t gotten Gaara to the hospital as fast as he had, Gaara would have bled out and died. Naruto didn’t leave his side the entire time he spent in the hospital recovering. They saved each other that night, became friends bound by a loneliness only they could really understand.

The two were inseparable after that, and they gave up the illegal races. Gaara continued in the legal circuits, but Naruto returned to his art. He made some of his most amazing pieces during that time, building up his fame until eventually his works started making headlines in the art community in Manhattan.

Naruto was so proud of Gaara for coming home to reconcile with his father, and he was even happier to see that those pale green eyes were no longer shadowed by pain and loneliness. Gaara would never be “fixed”, just like Naruto would never be “fixed”, but his best friend had taken his life back into his own hands and was finding his own way out from under the bullshit life had thrust at him upon birth.

Naruto grinned at him and taunted, “Is that the best you’ve got? You’re losing your touch, ‘Demon,’” Gaara grinned back and shifted the car until they were flying along the roads. Naruto cussed when he spotted a cop up ahead, but Gaara just laughed.

“Their cars are only factory tuned. If you can do better than 180k/h, they can’t catch you, so they don’t even try,” they sped past the cops and the officers didn’t so much as turn on their lights. Naruto whooped and held on for the ride; he’d missed the thrill of racing, but mostly he just missed his friend, so he enjoyed the moment and waved off the melancholy that had been following him all day as they barreled through the night.

The Uchiha family estate was the same as it always had been; large and imposing and ostentatious. Sasuke walked through one of the several rock gardens and held back the nostalgia; he wasn’t a sentimental person, but this _was_ where he had spent the majority of his childhood. He couldn’t help but smirk at the rock that marked the spot Itachi had helped him bury a vase he had accidentally broken as a toddler. Sasuke had no doubts that their mother had known he’d broken the expensive decoration, but she had just smiled and smothered him in kisses. That had been before Sasuke understood just how sick she was.

He shook off the memories and continued towards the room that Itachi used as an office when he was staying at the estate. The house had almost a hundred separate rooms and several different buildings and was a unique mixture of traditional Japanese and modern oriental; the office he walked into was distinctly contemporary and the desk he saw Itachi sitting behind was polished black marble.

“ _Otouto,_ I expected you to come earlier. Did you get caught up with something this morning?” Itachi sat back and pushed his long hair out of his face. He looked as proper as he always did, despite wearing a comfortable black _yukata,_ but now that Sasuke was looking for it he saw the strain in his older brother’s expression, the slight bags under his eyes.

“I figured I’d give you a bit more time to come up with a reasonable excuse for this hoax you have going on.” Sasuke had spent the time since learning about Itachi’s wedding gathering every last shred of information he could on Konan. He hadn’t found a goddamn thing.

Itachi sighed, “Sasuke, why are you calling my engagement a hoax? Did the thought ever occur to you that I might have an interest in Konan outside of her business connections?”

“Drop the bullshit, Itachi. We both know you’re not romantically interested in Konan.” At least, Sasuke was eighty percent sure. His brother had the best poker face in the world and Sasuke was still learning to read through some of his brother’s tells.

“Language, Sasuke.” Itachi reprimanded. Sasuke had to physically stop himself from nodding in deference. All these years and he still hadn’t broken the habit of yielding to his brother—it was like his brain was hardwired to comply with Itachi’s wishes.

“Tell me what’s really going on Itachi. Why is it every time I try to find out anything about Konan, I come up completely empty?” He should have been able to find _something,_ but all he had found was what he already knew—that Konan was an orphan who had spent some time in the foster system before being adopted by one of their numerous third cousins twice removed (of which had no actual blood relation to Itachi or Sasuke) and taken into the branch family that served the Uchiha main family. She had been a retainer for the Uchiha family her entire life, until about nine years ago when she had fallen off of the face of the fucking earth. The only thing he had been able to pull up about her was the small article about the company that had thought to challenge the Uchiha empire.

“Perhaps you’re not as good at investigation as you are at managing startups. You’ve done really well in New York, _otouto._ I’m very proud of you.” Sasuke ignored the explosion of satisfaction he felt at having made his brother proud in favor of nurturing the irritation that had been growing since Itachi had told him about the wedding.

“Don’t try to change the subject. I’m going to figure out what the hell’s going on whether you tell me or not, so save me some of the hassle and talk.” Itachi’s gaze sharped a bit but before he could reply, the door leading further into the house slid open.

“I thought I heard your voice! Sasuke, it’s so good to see you again.” Shisui pulled Sasuke into a tight hug that made Sasuke flinch. He wasn’t much for casual physical contact (except from Naruto) but he relaxed into Shisui’s embrace. The older man had always been playful and spirited, so very different than the rest of the Uchiha family despite his role as a retainer for family. Madara had taken a special interest in Shisui and had Kagami adopt Shisui into the main family; Sasuke had grown up admiring both Shisui and Itachi. Hopefully, Shisui would help him figure out what was going on with Itachi if the older man didn’t know already. If Itachi had a weakness, it would be Shisui—he’d never been able to beat the slightly older man and when the two worked together, they could move the heavens themselves, at least in Sasuke’s (biased) opinion.

“Shisui…I didn’t know you were here already.” Itachi looked…flustered. Sasuke couldn’t ever recall seeing his brother like that, but it was hidden behind his poker face so fast that Sasuke thought he might have imagined it.

“How could I pass up spending the afternoon with my favorite Uchiha siblings?” Shisui smiled radiantly at Itachi and dragged both him and Sasuke to another room where there was already tea and snacks laid out. If Sasuke hadn’t been watching his brother so closely, he would have missed the slight flinch when Shisui grabbed his brother’s hand. Sasuke’s concern only grew. Itachi and Shisui had always been the closest of friends—some people had even mistaken them for brothers—so why did Itachi suddenly snap his hand away from Shisui’s grasp? Shisui just smiled and served the tea, as if Itachi hadn’t all but snatched his hand away.

“So, Sasuke, I’ve heard all about your escapades in New York. Which parts are actually true?” Shisui just smiled teasingly at Sasuke as he drank his tea.

“Depends. What exactly have you heard?” Sasuke tried to covertly watch Itachi for any reactions, but his older brother had returned back to the knowing smile he always wore.

“Well, for one, I’ve been told by a _reliable_ source that a certain artist has stolen the Uchiha heir’s heart,” Shisui winked at Itachi and gave Sasuke a shit-eating grin. Sasuke was starting to remember why he limited his interactions with Itachi and Shisui—the two of them gave Sasuke several grey hairs every time they teamed up on him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “Yes, my startups are doing very well, thank you for asking.” Shisui just laughed and switched to talking business. Shisui was one of the masterminds that helped run the majority of the Uchiha conglomerates; he had one of the sharpest minds Sasuke had ever encountered and Sasuke enjoyed getting his input on a few ideas he had to expand one of his companies. Itachi was oddly subdued throughout the entire conversation.

“I really am proud of you Sasuke. You’ve done really well for yourself, but I have to say I’m more surprised that you’ve fallen for someone. I’m excited to meet Naruto.” The sincere smile Shisui gave him made Sasuke pause; Shisui’s opinion meant as much to him as Itachi’s, mostly because Sasuke knew Shisui just wanted what was best for him. He wasn’t worried—he was proud to have Naruto by his side, and he had a feeling Naruto and Shisui would hit it off; at the very least, their personalities would certainly harmonize.

“You’ll like him. He’s as unpredictable as you.” Sasuke couldn’t stop the smile that edged at his lips, remembering the way Naruto had surprised all those people this morning.

“He certainly is impressive, but Sasuke, have you prepared him to face the wolves?” Itachi asked as he glanced at Shisui before turning his attention to Sasuke.

“Naruto doesn’t need me to protect him. He handled you just fine when you decided to fly to New York and stick your nose into my business.” Sasuke would never admit that Itachi’s being there had saved his and Naruto’s relationship; he still had his pride to uphold and he would have been able to fix things without Itachi’s interference (he wouldn’t have).

Shisui snickered at the exasperated sigh Itachi gave Sasuke, but his gaze turned a bit harsher when he looked at Sasuke, “As well as he handled your brother, he could still benefit from a bit of a warning. You’ve been away for a long time, Sasuke. The wolves are hungry for anything they can get their teeth on.”

“We’ll be fine.” Sasuke made his tone final, ending the conversation. Naruto would be able to handle whatever the family decided to throw at him, and it’s not like Sasuke intended to leave him to handle the “wolves” alone.

Itachi and Shisui shared another pointed look, engaging in one of those moments where they seemed like they had entire conversations with nothing but their eyes. Sasuke felt like he had imagined Itachi’s strange behavior, but he knew he hadn’t. He planned to speak with Shisui about what was going on when he could get a moment alone with him.

“Well, at the very least I’m excited to see how Naruto will handle Inabi.” Neither Sasuke nor Itachi could suppress their groans, Shisui just laughed. If Sasuke had to pick the most annoying, belligerent, asinine human on the planet, he would offer up his distant cousin Inabi on a silver platter. Inabi was quite literally the biggest douche Sasuke had ever met—he was embarrassed to be related to the moron. He hoped Inabi had gained some sense in the years Sasuke had been away.

“We may need to do some crowd control this evening,” Itachi lamented as they got Sasuke up to speed with the various rumors and gossip currently circulating around the family. Sasuke relaxed and enjoyed being in the company of Itachi and Shisui—they were by far his favorite family members and it had been a long time since they had all had the chance to sit and chat. Still, despite the good company, Sasuke found himself impatient to see Naruto again. He hoped the blond was enjoying his time with Gaara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, comments and kudos give me life so drop me a comment down below or message me on any of my social media :)


	4. [recite scriptures untaught]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Gaara arrive at the Uchiha family estate; Gaara and Sasuke formally meet and Naruto realizes his best friend has way too much blackmail on Naruto that Sasuke would love to hear about.  
> Naruto meets Fugaku. (yikes)  
> Naruto meets Shisui, Obito, Rin, and Inabi--all the introductions!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ~~This chapter was so freaking hard for me to write. Honestly this chapter is kind of dumpster fire. I am so sorry, but I'm going to leave it at this for now and move onto the next chapters. orz. I might come back and edit later but for now...yeah. Sorry.~~  
>  Oh, read about the Nihonga art movement here [Nihonga](https://japanobjects.com/features/nihonga)  
>  _This is my new favorite chapter. Read why below_  
>   
>   
>  *****UPDATE: even if you have already read this chapter, scroll to the bottom for an amazing surprise!**

門前の小僧習わぬ経を読む。 _(mon zen no kozō narawanu kyō wo yomu) [a student near a temple will recite scriptures untaught]—our environments influence who we become_

“Uh…Gaara…where the hell are we?” Naruto had thought Gaara had known how to get to the Uchiha family home, but clearly his best friend was shit at directions because they were in the middle of _nowhere._ Literally nothing but acres of rolling hills and empty forest swept past as Naruto glanced out the window; Naruto caught a brief flash of a _private property_ sign as they drove. They had only left the outskirts of Tokyo a few minutes ago, but Naruto felt like they had been teleported to the middle of the Sierra Nevada.

Before Gaara could explain why he had taken Naruto to the middle of nowhere, they came upon a _gigantic,_ opulent gate with no less than four armed guards. “Namikaze Naruto and Sabaku Gaara for Uchiha Sasuke.” Gaara told the guard who came up to the window; the security talked with someone over their radios and waved the gate open.

“Don’t touch the car.” Gaara growled as they inspected the vehicle and let them pass. Naruto was too busy trying to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor to soothe his friend—if the guards were dumb enough to touch Gaara’s car, they deserved what was coming to them. Luckily, they passed without anyone losing a finger and Naruto gasped quietly at the brief images of the house that had to be the Uchiha family estate. _House_ was a gross understatement; Naruto was quickly understanding why they called the entire mansion an _estate._ The driveway alone probably cost in the millions, and the delicate stone lanterns that lit up the entrance must have taken someone hours to light—the flickering of actual flames made the beautiful stone lanterns shimmer in the moonlight.

Aesthetically speaking, the estate was gorgeous; the artist in Naruto desperately wanted to look at every nook and cranny—he was practically jittery with the desire to draw—but Naruto had dealt with enough of Manhattan’s elites to grow a healthy wariness for expensive houses. Naruto found that most often, the most gorgeous of houses usually lacked the warmth of a _home._

“ _Crap…”_ Naruto muttered as they continued through the long drive; Sasuke had said a family gathering, but Naruto should have realized that the Uchiha family wasn’t _small._ There were dozens of people mingling about the property—Naruto had been forced to attend his fair share of cocktail parties and soirees, but this blew all of those experiences out of the water. “So much for a small family gathering…”

“Trust me, this _is_ small for the Uchiha family. I’m surprised there wasn’t more hassle getting through security.” Gaara looked on edge as he drove through the endless driveway that circled around the grand property.

“Four armed guards aren’t the norm?” Naruto was not a nervous person—he had never suffered from social anxiety and he wasn’t worried now, but he _was_ grateful Gaara had forced him into formal attire. As much as he hated the restrictive garments, he knew how much weight people put on appearances; he wasn’t ashamed of who he was or his preferred style, but he did want to make a good first impression on the Uchiha family for Sasuke’s sake.

“I can promise you that those guards weren’t the only form of security tonight. This family is so rich, they own the satellites that orbit around the area. Usually my name ruffles a few feathers, but I’m guessing your boyfriend told them to expect me.” Gaara gently guided them into the queue of cars waiting for the valet, a harsh glint in his eye as he scrutinized the young men driving the lavish vehicles to wherever they kept them stored for the evening.

“Thank you for the ride, Gaara. I really appreciate you bringing me, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, you were right about the suit.” Naruto grinned at his friend, but Gaara didn’t smile back—he gave Naruto a harsh glare that had sent more people running away screaming in terror than Naruto wanted to think about.

“You don’t actually think I’m leaving you to handle those wolves alone, do you?” It might have been phrased as a question, but Gaara’s tone wasn’t exactly inquisitive. Pissed was a better descriptor, and Naruto immediately felt guilty for thinking his friend would leave him to handle this craziness by himself. He was about to apologize when he glimpsed a familiar figure near the entrance.

“ _Fuuuuuuuuck…”_ Naruto breathed out harshly as he watched Sasuke take another drag from his cigarette; he had gotten his boyfriend to quit the disgusting habit over a year ago by kicking his ass in a 5k they ran for a charity event—Naruto blamed Sasuke’s smoking habit for his loss, but really Naruto had trained for weeks to make sure he beat the jerk. Naruto hated the taste and smell of smoke, but really, he just hated the idea of Sasuke doing something to hurt himself, even with something as socially acceptable as smoking. His lover had been extra crabby that month, but he didn’t touch a cigarette again and the next 5k they ran, Sasuke kicked his ass pretty thoroughly; Naruto had never been so proud and frustrated at the same time. There was also a good dose of lust in there, too—Naruto didn’t like to lose, but losing to Sasuke had certain…benefits.

However, clearly his boyfriend had gotten irritated enough to pick the habit back up during their short time apart— _that_ made Naruto nervous. He immediately began to wonder if Itachi’s situation was worse than Sasuke had initially thought—what else could rile his boyfriend up enough to give in to something as controlling as smoking?

“This party might be a bit more dramatic than I originally pictured…” Naruto straightened his tie as he pushed the door up and stepped out of Gaara’s glorious beauty of a car; Sasuke’s gaze heated as he looked Naruto up and down, smothering his cigarette in the nearest ashtray as he prowled over. Naruto couldn’t contain the spike of lust he felt as those ebony eyes ate him up like a goddamn desert—he really needed to thank Temari for the suit. He knew the charcoal grey three-piece and black tie made his eyes and hair stand out even more; in the back of his mind, he wondered why Temari had such a good eye for fashion, but his thoughts quickly short-circuited when Sasuke grabbed his hips and pulled him closer. Naruto sucked in a sharp breath and firmly pressed his hand into Sasuke’s chest—as lust-riddled as his head was, he didn’t think making out with Sasuke would make a very good first impression on anyone. That and he _really_ hated the taste of cigarettes.

“Down boy…we don’t need to make a scene…” Naruto grinned as Sasuke scowled and squeezed his hips—Naruto pointedly ignored the shiver of anticipation that ran down his spine. Sasuke looked over Naruto’s shoulder and inclined his head slightly at Gaara.

[ ](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

[ ](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

“I appreciate you giving Naruto a ride,” Sasuke had never been very good at sounding thankful, but he didn’t sound _too_ surly or rude as he thanked Gaara—considering how irritated his lover had to be, Naruto would take that as a win. Gaara just raised a brow and silently handed his keys to the valet as he walked around the car.

“Sabaku Gaara,” Gaara held his hand out to Sasuke but his gaze was nothing less than predatory; Sasuke glared but released his hold on Naruto to shake the redhead’s hand.

“Uchiha Sasuke.” The force of their handshake was _visibly_ overkill—any harder and they would be cutting off circulation to their fingers.

Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted, “Now that you two have established dominance, would you like to go chasing rabbits together? Or I could get a stick and throw it for you.” Two equally terrifying glares shifted to Naruto but he just grinned; his best friend’s and boyfriend’s worst glares really couldn’t faze him.

“Your mouth really is going to get you into some serious trouble one day,” Sasuke released Gaara’s hand and slid his hands into his pockets—he looked so ridiculously attractive in his simple black suit.

Gaara snorted, “It already has. I’m willing to bet he hasn’t told you about that New Year’s Eve we spent in Lenox Hill when we were twenty-one.” Gaara’s eyes twinkled with a mischievousness that was rare for the redhead but sent a spike of fear straight through Naruto.

“Hey, hey! Shouldn’t we go inside? It’s probably rude to stay out here chit-chatting!” Naruto nervously laughed and turned towards the door, unable to contain the blush that spread through his cheeks. Gaara had promised to _never_ bring that night up; if anyone had embarrassing stories about Naruto, it was Gaara—Naruto hadn’t exactly been…refined in his early twenties. Honestly, Gaara probably remembered Naruto’s early twenties better than he did; there had been one too many drunken nights in Manhattan for Naruto to feel comfortable letting Sasuke and Gaara talk for too long.

“Hmm…perhaps we have more to discuss than I initially thought,” Sasuke grinned at Gaara and Naruto was both horrified and ecstatic that Gaara grinned back—he loved the idea of Gaara and Sasuke getting along, but _shit,_ Gaara had some stories to tell.

“I assume it’s an open bar?” Gaara asked as they stepped into the mansion; Naruto’s breath left his body as he spotted some of the most _stunning_ traditional Japanese paintings hanging in the foyer. He muttered a quiet _yeah_ when Gaara told him he’d be at the bar, but Naruto’s entire focus was on the paintings.

“Oh my God…these are real, aren’t they? These are authentic _Nihonga_ paintings from the start of the movement…” Naruto had never had a formal education in art, but he had done a lot of research on the styles that interested him. _Nihonga_ was a Japanese art movement that started in the 1900s in an attempt to distinguish the traditional Japanese arts from Western influences. Naruto found it absolutely breathtaking; the pieces in the foyer were unquestionably expensive, but Naruto had never given much of a flying fuck how much a piece sold for—for him, the brushstrokes told a story, the history of a proud country; the country his parents had been from.

“I thought these were all in museums. I didn’t think there were any in private collections…” Naruto sighed and leaned back into Sasuke’s embrace—he hadn’t even noticed when his lover had come up behind him; he was so engrossed in the artworks before him that he didn’t think about the eyes that had to be on them until he heard Sasuke’s deep voice in his ear, his breath brushing across the spot just below his jaw.

“All of these were gifts to the family. They’ve been with us for generations.” Naruto shivered as Sasuke leaned in, and the spike of lust Naruto felt finally wrestled his attention away from the paintings. His entire body ached to kiss the life out of his lover, but he was saved by a pointed cough from behind them.

“Perhaps you should show Naruto our private collection when there are less eyes on you. Sasuke, father has asked to speak with you.” Itachi was standing behind them, using his body to block them from the people Naruto could see lingering around the edges of the foyer. Naruto took a deep breath and glared at Sasuke—his boyfriend was usually the more level-headed of them, so why the hell were Naruto and Itachi having to remind him to behave? Naruto didn’t care if everyone knew they were having sex, but he wasn’t about to put on a show like some sort of traveling performer.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a glass of whiskey from a passing server, downing the entire glass in one swallow.

“Uh, I’m willing to bet that wasn’t your first one of those.” Sasuke was by no means a lightweight—it had taken Naruto an entire bottle of vodka to outdrink him the one time they decided to test who had the higher tolerance—but when he got tipsy, he tended to get a bit more _affectionate_ with Naruto. Unfortunately, the fuse on his temper also got shorter with each drink. Naruto carefully looked over his lover; he didn’t seem very drunk, but he wasn’t perfectly sober either. Naruto put him somewhere between slightly buzzed and tipsy.

“Trust me,” Sasuke muttered and handed Naruto a glass of what looked like vodka from the same server. Naruto hesitated but he _did_ trust Sasuke, so he took the glass and threw back the liquid. It burned but it was really smooth—Naruto had always been fond of vodka, but he didn’t care enough to learn how to distinguish a premium brand from the bottom-shelf.

“Thank you,” Naruto smiled at the waiter as he handed the glass back; he wasn’t worried about getting drunk—even after that entire bottle from their competition, he’d still been somewhat functional. The hangover had been hell, though.

“Let’s go,” Sasuke guided Naruto up the stairs; this part of the house was more on the modern oriental side, with large bay windows and skylights. Naruto glanced back at Itachi, wondering what the subtle tension he felt between Sasuke and Itachi had been about. Itachi just smiled encouragingly after them.

“I’m guessing you still haven’t gotten Itachi to talk about what all this is about?” Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn’t worry over Itachi without good reason—Itachi was very capable of taking care of himself.

“He and Shisui are _both_ keeping me in the dark. Something is going on between them and neither of them are willing to tell me,” Sasuke was glowering as he led him through some more hallways—it looked like the party was being kept downstairs as they didn’t run into a single person.

“Shisui?” Sasuke paused and glanced back at Naruto, his eyes taking on a bit of apprehension at Naruto’s question.

“He’s an…old family friend. He’s a little older than Itachi and has known us our entire lives. Like Konan, he was adopted into the family and serves as a retainer, except he was adopted into the main family and runs a considerable portion of the Uchiha businesses.” Naruto was shocked to hear Sasuke use the same tone to talk about Shisui as he did to talk about Itachi; Sasuke clearly thought very highly of Shisui. Naruto was curious to meet someone Sasuke idolized as much as Itachi.

“I’ll introduce you to him after we’ve spoken to my father.” They came up to a closed door from which Naruto could faintly hear voices. Sasuke glanced back at him—Naruto just grinned and winked at his lover; Sasuke grinned and opened the door.

Naruto wasn’t exactly _surprised_ by Fugaku, but he was certain Sasuke and Itachi had taken after their mother. Though, the stern look on Fugaku’s face reminded Naruto very much of Itachi when he chided Sasuke. Fugaku was standing in the middle of the executive office, talking in what sounded like Chinese to a screen with several different businessmen who were paying rapt attention to Sasuke’s father. Fugaku didn’t so much as glance at them as he and Sasuke moved to the edge of the room and waited for the teleconference to end.

_Didn’t Itachi say that Fugaku asked to speak with Sasuke?_ Naruto wondered and got the strange feeling that Fugaku intentionally timed it so that they would have to wait. Naruto immediately shook off the feeling—the meeting probably just took longer than Fugaku had intended. They waited several minutes, and Naruto could feel Sasuke growing tenser with each passing moment— _maybe this_ had _been some sort of power move, but why?_

The meeting finally ended and Fugaku glanced over Naruto before immediately moving his attention to Sasuke. Naruto froze. It had been a _very_ long time since he had been looked at that way, but he would never forget that look. It was the same look he had grown up receiving, the look of someone who thought of him as _nothing—_ just an insignificant bit of flotsam disgracing his presence.

“Sasuke, I expected you to come see me earlier. I have several different assignments I want you to take care of that have to do with the family companies.” Fugaku spoke in rapid Japanese, completely ignoring Naruto.

“I have nothing to do with any of the family businesses. If you need help with something, Itachi or Shisui would be more than capable of taking care of it.” Sasuke replied in English, his tone so scornful that Naruto placed his hand on his lover’s back in a vain attempt to calm him. Fugaku’s gaze sharpened, clearly not pleased to hear Sasuke imply that Fugaku needed help.

“I’m Namikaze Naruto. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Uchiha- _san.”_ Naruto interrupted before things got too out of hand—he was starting to understand why Sasuke had taken up smoking again, and why he had handed Naruto a shot of vodka. He spoke in Japanese to be polite, though he had no doubts Fugaku probably spoke English better than Naruto did.

“So, you are the guest my son has insisted on bringing. I am told you are an artist.” Fugaku switched to English; the way he said _artist,_ he could have easily replaced it with _bug,_ and it would have sounded less disdainful.

“He’s also a professor at NYU,” Sasuke all but spat at his father; Naruto hesitated, mostly because he wasn’t used to Sasuke defending him. Naruto didn’t really feel like he needed to be defended—he was proud to be an artist. He was also proud to be a professor at NYU, so he shook off the strange spike of insecurity Sasuke’s reply sent through him.

“You’re a scholar? Are your parents academics as well?” Fugaku turned his attention to the paperwork on his desk; Naruto almost flinched at the question. He ignored the feeling that Fugaku knew damn well that Naruto was adopted.

“I actually don’t know what my biological parents did before they died. I was only an infant when they passed away. My adoptive father, Iruka, is a teacher at a middle school in the Upper East Side.” Naruto desperately tried to calm his rising temper, but if Fugaku said anything about Iruka, Naruto knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from snapping.

“I see. He must very proud of you.” Fugaku continued to look through the documents on his desk.

“Well he knows I’m very passionate about my art and I’ve come to love teaching. My students invigorate me with their drive and passion.” Naruto was just spouting crap he had heard other professors spew. He did actually enjoy teaching, but his students caused him more amusement than inspiration.

Fugaku finally looked up from his paperwork to meet Naruto’s gaze, “Pursuing one’s passions. An… _interesting_ sentiment. Very American. Sasuke, your businesses in New York will have to wait, there are several positions that need to be filled in one of our enterprises. Those positions are best filled by one of our _own._ I will not allow an outsider to taint that which we have worked so hard to build.” Naruto knew he was being dismissed. Honestly, it didn’t bother him all that much; no, what set his blood boiling was the realization that Fugaku considered all of Sasuke’s hard work insignificant—as if he hadn’t worked his ass off to achieve something without relying on his family’s status or power. Naruto hated the oblique and vague way Fugaku called him an outsider, but he _despised_ the fact that Fugaku brushed over Sasuke’s achievements as if they meant nothing.

Before either Sasuke or Naruto could explode, there was a subtle peal that sounded throughout the house.

“That’s the dinner bell. I’ll join you later.” Fugaku dismissed them and returned back to his paperwork without so much as a backward glance.

Naruto bowed politely—albeit not very deeply—and pulled Sasuke through the door. He released a long exhale and shook off his anger.

“Well that was fun. Maybe he’s just scared that I won’t be able to provide for his precious princess on an artist’s unstable salary,” Naruto elbowed his lover who had gone silent with fury. He always did that—Naruto had a tendency to blow up with his anger but Sasuke would just get quieter the more he seethed, until he finally released his wrath in a vicious strike that had reduced several people to tears. Thankfully, for all his short temper, Naruto had only had to do damage control once or twice for Sasuke’s rare outbursts. To be fair, Karin had deserved Sasuke’s tongue-lashing when she repeatedly ignored his warnings to stop aggressively flirting with him. If she wasn’t so good at her job, Sasuke probably would have fired her a long time ago.

Sasuke growled and pulled Naruto into a kiss that was as vicious as his anger. Sasuke bit at Naruto’s lower lip and shoved him against the wall—it took all of Naruto’s mental willpower to suppress his groan and break the kiss. He really hated that he was suddenly the voice of reason in their relationship—Naruto had _never_ thought the day would come that he had to stop Sasuke from fucking him into a wall.

“We can hate fuck all night when we get back to the hotel. I am _not_ having sex with you in a house where I’m not welcome.” For all that he disliked Fugaku, he still respected that this was his home. As much as Naruto wanted to rip his lover’s clothes off and pound his frustrations out, he wouldn’t disrespect Sasuke’s father in such a way, even if he was an asshole.

Sasuke released a frustrated groan and let his head rest on Naruto’s shoulder. Naruto gently ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s silky hair—it probably calmed Naruto more than it did Sasuke, but it worked enough that they weren’t sporting raging boners when they walked back into the party.

“Sasuke!” A tall man with short, spiky black hair walked over to them, “Is this Naruto? I’m so glad to finally meet you! I’m Shisui.” He beamed at Naruto and offered out his hand.

Naruto smiled, lightened by the genuine warmth he could see in the other man’s dark eyes, “It’s nice to meet you too.” Naruto was surprised that the person Sasuke thought so highly of was more openly friendly than all the Uchihas combined.

“I have to admit, when I heard Sasuke was dating an artist I did a bit of digging. I saw the piece you did for the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and it really was stunning. I wish I knew more about the finer arts to be able to appreciate it fully, but unfortunately I grew up trudging through useless accounting textbooks instead of art theory.” Shisui’s candidness was like a breath of fresh air to Naruto. He had known everyone would have already researched him, but Shisui was the first person to openly admit to it; even Itachi had evaded the question when Naruto cornered him about it during his trip to New York. Shisui didn’t seem the least bit coy or casuistic—Naruto had no doubts the man could wheel and deal with the best of them, he _was_ an Uchiha (albeit adopted) after all, but he didn’t pull any power moves or make any subtly rude remarks to Naruto as they spoke.

“Ah, well thank you. The exhibition was supposed to be about the threads that connect us. It was my first time incorporating fabrics and threads into my paintings, but I’m proud of the way it turned out. My piece was on the threads of fate.” Naruto had been really proud of that piece—the red strings of fate had been an inspiration to him for a while, but he hadn’t been able to get the image in his head down quite right before. The concept finally clicked when the exhibition deadline came up—right around the tail-end of Naruto’s and Sasuke’s disastrous first year dating, when they had finally hammered out most of their problems.

“I always liked the idea of an invisible red string of fate tying us to our beloved. Sasuke probably thinks I’m a hopeless romantic, but I like the idea of having a fated someone out there in the world.” Shisui winked at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes. Naruto found himself delighted with the other man.

Naruto laughed, “You’d be surprised, the _tsundere_ bastard actually adored that piece and had it hung in our apartment when the exhibit ended.”

The unholy glee that lit up Shisui’s face was as bright as the sun, and Naruto couldn’t help but laugh with him as Sasuke groaned and asked a server for another whiskey.

“I see you two have become acquainted and judging by my poor _otouto’s_ face you’ve already begun teasing him. I don’t suppose you’d let me in on the fun?” Itachi walked up and patted his little brother’s shoulder comfortingly, though judging by Sasuke’s responding glare, he didn’t find it comforting in the least.

“Well since you two have known Sasuke since he was in diapers, I’d be happy to listen to any embarrassing stories, or even better, I’d love some baby pictures to use as blackmail when he gets on my nerves.” Naruto relaxed into the teasing atmosphere; Shisui and Itachi spoke with a familiarity that must have taken years to form—Naruto got the strangest feeling that they were far closer than would appear on the surface, which was already pretty damn close. He vaguely wondered at Sasuke’s obliviousness—his boyfriend had said that he’d never seen Itachi romantically interested in anyone, but Naruto just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more in Itachi’s gaze when it lingered on Shisui, and vice versa when Shisui glanced at Itachi. Naruto rather liked the idea of Sasuke’s terrifying older brother having someone like Shisui to bring light and laughter into his life.

“Sasuke? Is that you?” Another man walked up to the small group they had formed; he had the distinctive Uchiha black hair and dark eyes, but he also had several scars on the right side of his face. Next to him was a short brunette with large brown eyes, holding the hand of an absolutely _tiny_ little girl who was desperately hiding behind her mother’s leg.

Sasuke sighed and it almost sounded like a breath of relief, “Naruto, this is Obito and his wife Rin.”

Naruto smiled at the older man and his wife, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, I’ve been dying to come up and talk to you! I love your art! I’ve tried to purchase a few pieces, but they always get bought so quickly or you donate them to a museum or charity event.” The brunette—Rin—beamed at Naruto, a sweet blush on her cheeks. For some reason, Naruto couldn’t picture this sweet woman marrying into the stoic family, but when she grinned at her husband, he understood. Obito practically melted when he looked at his wife; Naruto smiled brightly at the adorable couple—he was glad that not everyone in the family exhibited Fugaku’s…rude behavior; Naruto thought Sasuke’s dad was a dick, but he was doing his best to hold his judgments, lest they bleed onto his expressive face.

“That’s very kind of you. If you want, I have several pieces that have run their time in various museums. I could put them aside for you, or if you prefer, I could just put you at the top of my commission list. I’d much rather work on a piece for one of Sasuke’s family members than a stranger.” Rin lit up like the sun and nodded emphatically, but her eagerness pulled her away from her daughter who squeaked and ducked back behind her mother’s legs.

Naruto smiled softly and dropped to his knees before pulling out the handkerchief in his lapel pocket. He folded the small fabric into a lopsided rose and offered it to the young girl.

“Ahhhh sorry, it’s kind of lopsided but it’s not too ugly, is it?” Naruto grinned as the little girl gasped and stepped out from behind her mom’s legs. She giggled and took the rose, but he didn’t expect her to put it behind Naruto’s ear.

“Eh?” Naruto blushed as the little girl giggled and pointedly ignored the snicker he heard Sasuke smother behind him.

Rin laughed and scooped up her daughter before leaving to get her something to eat; Naruto waited until they were out of sight before removing the rose from behind his ear.

“Thank you for that. My daughter is very shy and doesn’t like to talk to strangers. She’s still terrified of Madara.” Obito inclined his head to Naruto and strode off when he got called over by another guest. Before Naruto could ask Sasuke who Madara was or where the bar was so he could find Gaara, he heard someone shout Sasuke’s name; Naruto was beginning to sense a recurring theme. What concerned Naruto was the visible flinch Sasuke tried to hide and the groan he just _barely_ managed to hide under a cough.

“So, the golden boy has returned!” A man around the same age as Itachi and Shisui came up and clapped Sasuke on the back; he had long black hair and smaller eyes than the others Naruto had met from the Uchiha family. For some reason, Naruto was reminded of a beady-eyed fox. The image was only reinforced when the man turned his attention to Naruto, his eyes tightening in a sharp glare as he gave Naruto a sly grin.

“And _you_ must be the artist I’ve heard so much about.” Naruto straightened up, his hackles rising at the tone in the other man’s voice—his hopes that Fugaku would be the only dismissive and rude jerk he met tonight went up in so much flames, it was almost laughable.

“Naruto Namikaze,” Naruto offered his hand to the other man, fully expecting the asshole to spit at him. Thankfully, the other man’s grin just widened as he took Naruto’s hand.

“I’m Inabi Uchiha.” Naruto carefully ignored the fact that Inabi was gripping his hand with far too much force—he just returned the harsh gesture and forced a smile onto his face. Inabi released his hand and harshly stopped a passing waiter to grab two glasses of red wine from the serving tray. He offered one to Naruto and arched a brow before sipping at his own glass. Naruto resisted the urge to groan and sipped at the glass—he didn’t really like wine and he _hated_ dealing with people like Inabi, but he cared about Sasuke enough not to cause a scene. He planned on getting some recompense for his good behavior when they got back to the hotel.

“So, Sasuke, I’ve heard a lot about your businesses in New York. I’m surprised you went into the wearable tech market,” Inabi descended into business jargon that made Naruto want to roll his eyes; he didn’t know the first thing about running a business, but judging from the condescending answers Sasuke used to reply to his family member, neither did Inabi.

Inabi was visibly getting more and more irritated as Sasuke tore apart his opinions with methodical precision; normally Naruto would find that extremely sexy, but it didn’t seem like the best idea for Sasuke to verbally fillet Inabi—although Naruto really couldn’t bring himself to save the guy when Inabi shifted his focus back to Naruto and pointedly asked, “And where did you attend university, Naruto?”

Naruto was debating if it would be considered bad etiquette if he “accidentally” upended his wine all over Inabi’s head. He resisted the urge and tried to keep his tone tepid when he replied, “I actually didn’t attend university. After I got out of high school, I traveled around with my mentor and steadily built up my portfolio.” Naruto breathed deeply and finished his glass of wine, quietly asking the waiter to bring another glass of vodka. This was going to be a very long night, and if Sasuke’s face when Inabi snorted derisively at Naruto’s reply was any indicator, Naruto wouldn’t be the only one fighting to maintain a calm veneer. He just hoped they’d make it through the night without anyone being set on fire from Sasuke’s intense glare. Naruto sighed and smiled at Shisui who was getting dragged away along with Itachi by a woman who looked to be a generation or two older than them. Naruto vaguely heard the name “Naori” before Itachi and Shisui disappeared. Naruto smiled gratefully when the waiter appeared with his drink—he didn’t indulge in drinking too often (not after the hangover from hell after his and Sasuke’s “competition”) but he was grateful for the open bar. He just hoped he and Sasuke wouldn’t end up reenacting their drunken competition night.

* * *

[ ](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

[ ](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

[ ](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~If you want to lament with me about how awful this chapter was, please drop a comment below or message me on any of my social media. Writing is hard but I'm excited to move on to the more interesting chapters starting with the next one!~~
> 
> ***UPDATE: this is my new favorite chapter because--  
>  OMG guys, I have been blessed by the _glorious, magnificent,_ **unbelievably talented** artist [shincendiary(Tumblr)](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)/[shinomu(AO3)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinomu/pseuds/shinomu) with these images of Naruto arriving at the Uchiha family party. I'm still crying over these works of art as I type this. Please go give this amazing artist all the love she deserves!


	5. [the child of a frog is a frog]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi endures some angst;  
> Mysteries abound!  
> Naruto gets a lesson in Uchiha family bloodlines;  
> Sasuke talks with Madara (super intense)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! This chapter was so much fun to write! I actually planned on finishing the party scenes in this chapter but it started getting too long, so I added another chapter.  
> Some extra notes:  
> The ages of the main characters are as follows-  
> Naruto-26  
> Sasuke-27  
> Itachi-32  
> Shisui-34  
> Madara/Naori-72ish (exact number doesn't really matter)
> 
> Oh, read about Ikebana [here](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-thriving-art-ikebana-japanese-tradition-flower-arranging)
> 
> Finally, figuring out the most appropriate honorifics for this fic has been pretty hard, so if anyone sees any problems with what I've used, please let me know!  
> Also, I just want to make it clear that this fic takes some liberties with how the Uchiha family is--in this fic the majority of the family members are very condescending and have a sense of superiority, but that does not accurately reflect Japanese culture! Please just understand that this story is a work of fiction and does not perfectly portray any one race or culture.

蛙の子は蛙。 _(Kaeru no ko wa kaeru) [the child of a frog is a frog]—like father, like son_

Naruto never ceased to amaze Itachi; despite his little brother giving Naruto _zero_ warning about their family, the blond was handling it all with finesse and a tact Itachi hadn’t expected. It was Naruto who was calming Sasuke, and Itachi found himself unable to look away. The tiny gestures and quick looks between the pair astounded him—in the two years since his intervening, Sasuke and Naruto had grown even closer. Itachi wasn’t the only one who noticed—Shisui raised a brow at him, clearly both shocked and impressed with the young artist. Itachi ignored the way his breath caught at Shisui’s attention—he had no right to react that way towards his closest friend. Shisui opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, a strong, quiet voice called out.

“Itachi, Shisui. Come.” Itachi inclined his head to Naori Uchiha and followed her into a private room. She was as striking as ever with her long, wavy hair that reached past her waist and large black eyes, so dark they were indistinguishable from the pupil; she was the embodiment of all the features that made up an Uchiha—she was also arguably the most powerful woman in the family. She answered only to Madara, despite being slightly older than him—if she truly wanted to contest leadership of the family, she had the strength and power to do so but she preferred to support the family from the shadows; she lead the branch family and coordinated their connections with various powers around the world.

“Naori, is there anything I can do for you?” Shisui bowed politely to her. She was technically his adoptive grandmother, though she looked incredibly young for her age—yet another Uchiha characteristic. Both Madara and Naori looked no older than their early fifties despite being in their seventh decade; many people liked to joke that the Uchihas had discovered eternal youth, Itachi wasn’t so sure it was entirely a joke.

“Whatever it is you are planning, Itachi, see to it that you do not descend too deeply into the shadows. If this is what Madara has asked of you, think carefully about what you do next. My cousin is not a fool, but he does not place enough care in the happiness of our family members.” Naori’s gaze bore into Itachi and he knew better than to lie to her; even Sasuke could see that he had no romantic attachments to Konan—Naori would see through him like the clearest of glass. Itachi was not foolish enough to disregard her words either, but he had no choice in this matter—he would not let those he cared for become a target in the endless power struggle of those who would seek to overthrow their family. Itachi bowed deeply to Naori, but he did not speak of his plans. He could feel Shisui tensing beside him—he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep his friend in the dark for much longer; truthfully it was a miracle he had kept Shisui out of this plot for as long as he had.

“Very well. I would speak to Shisui alone.” Naori understood Itachi’s silence and dismissed him. He left without looking at Shisui—he couldn’t bear to see the confusion and hurt in those dark eyes that haunted Itachi whether he was awake or asleep. Itachi breathed deeply and settled his face into the unreadable mask he had developed in his early adolescence, when he first realized that his thoughts needed to remain hidden from the world.

He looked around for Sasuke and Naruto, but he couldn’t find the distinctive blond hair; he should have searched for the couple, but his feet led him to the tables overflowing with food instead. Shisui hadn’t eaten yet and was unlikely to have a chance to as the night progressed. Itachi sighed at his own weakness but picked out Shisui’s favorites nonetheless. He listened carefully to the whispers around him; Naruto’s presence and Sasuke’s return was all anyone was speaking of, but that was to be expected. It wasn’t a problem yet, and Itachi would do his best to keep it that way.

.

.

.

“No, hold off on any trades until tomorrow. I’ll look over the portfolios myself and get back to you.” Shisui sighed and ended the call as he ran his fingers through his already messy hair. Itachi couldn’t stop his traitorous eyes from following the way those nimble fingers clenched slightly as they ran through the silky strands; Itachi’s own hands tightened on the plate he was holding. He cleared his throat softly to get Shisui’s attention.

“They’ll start clearing away dinner soon,” Itachi offered the overflowing plate to his friend; the smile on Shisui’s face was as radiant as ever when he looked at Itachi and took the plate—Itachi forced himself to smile back when really, he wanted nothing more than to look away. What right did he have to Shisui’s kindness? His friend’s smiles weren’t meant for him.

“Thank you. You picked out all my favorites,” Shisui glanced down at the plate, but his eyes lost that radiant warmth that heated Itachi up from the inside out.

“I know you have your reasons for this, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t worry?” Shisui gently pulled him down onto the couch, their knees brushing slightly—it took every ounce of his resolve to keep from flinching back. Itachi hated himself for the rush of pleasure that rocked through him as Shisui placed his hand on his. “We both know who she works for and _exactly_ what he’s capable of. Whatever you’re getting out of this, it isn’t worth making yourself a target for one of that bastard’s power plays.”

“It’s under control, Shisui.” Itachi forced his tone to be even, regardless of the fact that all the air wanted to rush out of his lungs. Shisui could never know—he would never forgive him if he found out why Itachi had decided to risk everything on Konan’s word. Itachi was adept at lying, he had learned to lie with ease early in life, so he lied to Madara, to his father, to Sasuke, and even to himself. Itachi played his part, told Madara that he was simply dealing with a nuisance who had gotten too close to their family, but deep down, in the depths he didn’t dare acknowledge, Itachi knew that he did this to protect Shisui.

It wasn’t all a lie, either—the best lies always have a grain of truth; Danzo _had_ become a threat to them—Konan had told Itachi that Danzo had once attempted to take Sasuke’s life when he’d only been a child. Danzo’s end was imminent, Itachi would accept nothing less. If Madara guessed at Itachi’s secondary purpose, if the Uchiha patriarch knew that Itachi did this out of fear and the need to protect the only person who lived within Itachi’s heart aside from his beloved little brother, then he wisely kept quiet. Madara was not a fool—he knew the lengths Itachi would go to protect his closest friend and his little brother.

“I forgot chopsticks,” Itachi evaded Shisui’s too-intelligent gaze and moved to leave, but Shisui just sighed and squeezed his hand.

“I’ll go get it; you stay here.” Itachi laughed at his own foolishness when Shisui was out of earshot—what a fool he was, to let his heart race at the simplest of touches, to let himself imagine for a moment that they weren’t the gestures of a friend, but rather the caresses of his beloved. Itachi caught sight of a flash of brilliant blond hair, and for a single moment, he let himself be jealous of his little brother. What truly amazed Itachi about Naruto was his bravery; Naruto had the courage to pursue what he loved, to chase after his heart regardless of the obstacles ahead of him. Itachi wondered if he would ever be that brave.

Shisui’s phone began to ring, buzzing angrily where it sat on the table in front of him. Itachi glanced around for his friend, but he was nowhere nearby. Itachi handled just as much of the family businesses as Shisui did, so he grabbed the phone and checked the messages coming in. His entire body seized when he read the words on the screen.

Itachi laughed again at his own stupidity, the sound wet and bitter as it left his lips. Truly, he was a fool.

He stood and walked away from the intimate little space he had found Shisui in, his steps quick. He told himself that his haste was because he had many things to do tonight, so many different balls to juggle this evening. Yet, in those depths he kept hidden, he knew he was lying to himself again. He didn’t stride away because he had things to accomplish. No, he was running. He was running from the words on that screen, the words that would endlessly circle around his head tonight.

_The bed feels empty without you._

Itachi sighed again. What right did he have to react like this to those words? Why should it matter to him that Shisui has a lover?

He caught a flash of grey-blue in the crowd and shoved those ridiculous thoughts to the back of his mind. He had moves to make, a game to play with a dangerous woman who might look like the most beautiful of ornaments but was really a rose with the sharpest of thorns. Itachi slipped that unreadable mask back onto his face and ignored the words that shredded his foolish heart to pieces.

“So, Naruto, what does your mother do for a living?” Naruto was halfway through his second vodka and wondering how bad it would be to just throw back the rest of the liquor in front of the prim woman currently interrogating him. She was one of Sasuke’s aunts through marriage twice removed…or some shit like that. Honestly, Naruto stopped paying attention after the sixth distant cousin came up to him and introduced herself. How Sasuke managed to remember all of his family member’s names and relations was beyond his understanding—Naruto still had no idea what the hell “removed” meant when it came to the family tree, though, judging from Sasuke’s ever-increasing irritation, Naruto figured his boyfriend had some ideas about _actually_ removing some of his family members. Permanently.

Before Sasuke could open up his mouth and tell off this particular aunt, Naruto stepped forward and “accidentally” spilled Sasuke’s wine all over his pristine white dress-shirt.

“Oh no, I’m such a klutz. Sorry, please excuse us.” Naruto knew damn well that his voice was too full of sarcasm to actually convince anyone, but he managed to drag away his seething boyfriend before Sasuke went ballistic. He pulled his lover to the edge of the bar and grabbed a napkin to dab at the stain spreading all over Sasuke’s chest.

“You’re literally just making it worse.” Sasuke waved away Naruto’s pitiful attempts to clean the disaster that was Sasuke’s shirt, pinching the bridge of his nose in a tell-tale sign of anger.

Naruto bit back his retort, trying desperately to keep his temper in check. He threw back the remaining liquor in lieu of punching his peevish boyfriend in the face—it’s not like he asked to be ridiculed tonight by people he didn’t even _know._ Naruto breathed deeply and fell back on the meditation techniques Jiraiya had taught him to calm himself.

“Naruto…” Sasuke’s tone was much softer, the irritation in those dark eyes bleeding out as he looked at him.

“Don’t,” Naruto cut him off before Sasuke could try to apologize; although the bastard absolutely _sucks_ at apologies (huge understatement), Naruto knew his boyfriend well enough to see the contrite look in his eyes, “It’s fine. Let’s just try to get through the night without getting into a fight.” _With anyone else, or each other,_ Naruto thought to himself. He glanced around the bar and looked for Gaara—he could really use his friend right now, but he kept getting intercepted by nosy Uchihas. Half of them were condescending, half of them were subtly snide, and the rest of them looked at Naruto like he was a traveling jester—ducking away and whispering amongst themselves _just_ loudly enough to be heard. Naruto realized that more than two halves was mathematically impossible but whatever, he was too irritated to try to correctly quantify the bullshit that this evening was becoming.

“Why don’t you go change? I’ll keep Naruto company,” A white haired man with a scar over his left eye and a sleek, black air-pollution mask on handed Sasuke a cloth towel. Naruto had seen hundreds of people wearing those kinds of masks around Tokyo—they were very common and even fashionable, and for some reason it looked surprisingly good with the white-haired man’s simple black suit.

“Thank you. Naruto, this is Kakashi Hatake. He’s an old family friend.” Sasuke brushed his hand over Naruto’s back soothingly before leaving to change. Naruto caught the familiar term Sasuke had used—so far, the only ones Sasuke had introduced as “old family friends” were Shisui and now Kakashi. Naruto couldn’t help but hope that Kakashi was at least a little like Shisui.

Naruto breathed deeply and forced another smile onto his face, “Hi. I’m Namikaze Naruto.” He really hoped this guy wasn’t a complete ass like everyone else tonight; Naruto wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

The white-haired man laughed and said, “No offense, but _obviously_. There isn’t a person in here who doesn’t know who you are.” Naruto got the distinct feeling that Kakashi was smirking under his mask. Naruto actually laughed, taken aback by the man; at least he was candid.

“Were you really one of Jiraiya’s pupils?” Kakashi’s tone was a bit hesitant…almost hopeful. Naruto felt a spike of Déjà vu—he’d heard that tone before, in the perverts who enjoyed Jiraiya’s “works” (porn).

“Hmm? Yeah, he was my mentor.” Naruto saw the way Kakashi’s eyes widened and all his irritation from earlier flew away like so much smoke.

“Do you…do you maybe have some of his, uhm…” There was a distinct blush peeking out from where Kakashi’s mask didn’t completely cover his cheeks.

Naruto burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over, “Oh my God, you’re one of his fans, aren’t you?” Naruto knuckled away a tear, feeling better than he had all night. Kakashi turned bright red and ordered a drink from the bartender. Naruto was very interested in seeing what was under the mask.

“Alright, alright, how about this,” Naruto leaned in close and cupped his mouth conspiratorially, finally enjoying himself. “Since you’re a fan, I can get you some of Jiraiya’s signed books. The ones from his _last series_.” The white-haired pervert lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree, gazing at Naruto like he hung the moon. The last series Jiraiya had written was the raunchiest smut Naruto had ever read—if he hadn’t loved the old man so much, he wouldn’t have even been able to finish them. Even then it had been at lot of glossing over and cringing. Those books made Naruto want to bleach his eyeballs.

Kakashi finally seemed to remember himself and coughed, “I would…I would really appreciate that. I’m actually one of Sasuke’s former teachers. I work pretty closely with the Uchiha family.”

“Oh? What did you teach?” Naruto was endlessly curious about what Sasuke had been like as a kid; he could only picture Sasuke as an arrogant little turd (he was).

“I was a _kendo_ instructor. My father learned under one of the Uchiha masters and passed on the teachings to me. My technique was decent enough that I was asked to help tutor Sasuke when he was younger.” Naruto loved watching Sasuke practice _kendo;_ his lover was so unbelievably good at the martial art. Naruto sucked with a _katana,_ but he was better at _taijutsu_ than Sasuke, even if the bastard would never admit it.

“Do you still practice _kendo?_ ” Naruto would really love to get the chance to see Sasuke practice with someone skilled enough to give him a challenge. He was so engrossed in imagining it that he didn’t notice Gaara until his friend lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Naruto, are you okay?” Gaara sounded worried, and his face was etched in concern. Clearly, his best friend had heard the insulting whispers circling around about Naruto.

“I’m fine, Gaara. This is Kakashi.” All of his rising irritation from earlier had already drained away—he had always been good at letting things go. Naruto introduced his friend to the white-haired man, watching him carefully. Kakashi didn’t react to Gaara in any way that could be considered rude. Rather, he respectfully inclined his head and shook Gaara’s hand.

“I didn’t realize Naruto was friends with the man who saved the Sabaku family from self-annihilation,” Kakashi didn’t sound the least bit derisive—if anything, he sounded impressed. Naruto found himself liking the pervert even more.

“Well, I’ve always had a knack for making friends with unusual people. It’s something I actually learned from Jiraiya.” Naruto let his fondness saturate his tone—for all that the old man had been a giant womanizer, he had also taught Naruto important life lessons, lessons he cherished.

“Ah, I really regret not being able to read his final piece. I heard a rumor that he was working on something right before he passed away.” Kakashi truly sounded remorseful; Naruto wondered if he’d been amongst the fans that had held a sigil for his late mentor.

“He was actually working on a few things. I have some of his unpublished manuscripts. I think you would probably appreciate them more than I do so I can let you have a copy, if you’d like.” Naruto really liked the idea of someone enjoying Jiraiya’s final works; he’d gotten hundreds of offers from publishing houses to print whatever Jiraiya had left behind, but they were nothing but attempts to make money off of his mentor’s abrupt death. Naruto had also been too wrapped up in his grief and anger to listen to any of the publishers.

“You would do that?” Kakashi’s eyes went wide with surprise and joy.

“Of course. Jiraiya would have probably wanted his last works published but I didn’t want people buying his pieces just because of the rumors surrounding his death…” Naruto did his best not to think about it, but he couldn’t stop himself. Every time he thought about Jiraiya’s death, all he could focus on was the unfairness of it all.

“I’m so sorry. It must have been awful losing your mentor like that,” Kakashi bowed his head and stared into his drink, his eyes shadowed with a grief Naruto knew all too well. Naruto had no doubts in his mind that Kakashi understood exactly how he felt—that Kakashi had lost someone important to him, too.

“Thank you. His murderer will be in jail for the rest of his life.” It wasn’t enough, it never had been for Naruto, but he pushed those thoughts away. Naruto couldn’t think about Nagato tonight, not with everything else going on. He ordered another drink and caught a brief flash of cool grey hair; he stretched onto the counter and saw Konan hurriedly leaving the bar. From where she had been standing, she must have seen Naruto—she’d probably even been close enough to hear their conversation.

 _Why didn’t she come over?_ Naruto hoped his fledgling friendship with Itachi’s fiancée hadn’t been compromised by the rumors circling around about him. She had been so friendly at the dinner in Haneda and Naruto hadn’t thought she’d be so easily influenced by other people’s opinions.

“Hey, Kakashi, can I ask you something?” With everyone bombarding them, Naruto hadn’t had a chance to talk to Sasuke about anything. Specifically, he hadn’t been able to ask about Sasuke’s family tree—it seemed kind of important now.

“Sure,” Kakashi leaned back onto the bar, swirling his drink. _How is he supposed to drink with a mask on?_ Naruto curbed his thoughts and focused on what he wanted to know. The mystery of Kakashi’s mask could wait.

“Who is Madara, and how is he related to Sasuke?” He’d heard the name spoken so many times tonight but had yet to figure out how he was related to his boyfriend. Naruto didn’t understand family trees or expanded bloodlines, but he’d at least try to comprehend it all for Sasuke’s sake.

“He hasn’t told you?” Gaara growled, his eyes filling with an intense anger. Kakashi whistled— _how the fuck does he do that with a mask on!?_ Naruto again tried to ignore the mask that was slowly driving him insane in favor of calming his friend.

“We’ve been a little busy tonight. I haven’t had a chance to ask him about his family.” Gaara’s anger didn’t abate; he crossed his arms and glared at him, a calculating look in his pale green eyes as he spoke.

“Madara Uchiha is the current head of the family—he’s the most powerful Uchiha currently alive and arguably the most powerful person in Japan.” Gaara’s tone was less than pleasant. _Well, that explains why everyone speaks of him like he’s some kind of god._ Naruto wondered why he hadn’t met the man yet, given that everyone was obsessed with him and Sasuke this evening.

“He’s also Sasuke’s great-uncle.” Kakashi added. Naruto just blinked at him—he had no idea how family lines worked. Honestly, he couldn’t differentiate an uncle from a cousin. Kakashi sighed and asked the bartender for a piece of paper and a pen.

“Here, it’s like this,” Kakashi intoned as he began to draw out what Naruto belatedly realized was the family tree. “Madara is the eldest son of Tajima Uchiha—the former family head. Madara never married, but his younger brother Izuna did. Izuna married Hazuki and they had Mikoto, who is the mother of Sasuke and Itachi. Unfortunately, Hazuki had a very difficult pregnancy, and ended up passing away during childbirth. As a result, Mikoto was born premature and suffers a lot of health problems. Izuna passed away shortly after losing his wife.

“Madara raised Mikoto and treats her like a daughter. However, despite adoring his niece, Madara never approved of her marriage to Fugaku, so when Itachi was born, Madara did not choose him as the family heir. Sasuke bears an extreme resemblance to Izuna—Madara’s late little brother, so many people speculate that the reason Madara chose Sasuke as his heir was because of that resemblance.” Naruto’s head was absolutely spinning as he tried to piece all that information together, but as distracted as he was, he still caught the doubtful tone in Kakashi’s voice.

“You don’t think that’s why Madara chose Sasuke as heir?” Naruto was scratching his cheek as he peered over Kakashi’s shoulder as the man continued to draw out the family tree. There were so many branches and lines that Naruto felt dizzy trying to make sense of it all.

“People who believe that forget that Madara has never made a decision on sentimentality alone, but it’s hardly my place to question the Uchiha patriarch’s motives. I’m just a retainer for the family.” Kakashi was surprisingly good at explaining things—Naruto had no problems picturing him as Sasuke’s _sensei._

“So, if you’re a retainer, where do you fit into the tree?” Naruto was engrossed in the drawing that was growing steadily bigger.

“Hmm, well technically I don’t fit anywhere on the tree, but I’m closest to Obito and Rin. I grew up alongside them and work closely with Obito in the family businesses.” Kakashi began to add several more names to the list, including a line that eventually led to Obito, and, amazingly, Konan.

“Konan is related to Obito?” Naruto’s head was really spinning now—he remembered that Sasuke had said something about her being a retainer, but he couldn’t understand why she made it onto the tree if Kakashi didn’t.

“She was technically adopted into the branch family led by Naori. She’s not the least bit blood related, but she has been connected to the family for her entire life.” Kakashi added more lines and Naruto saw that both the lines that connected Konan and Shisui to the family were dotted instead of solid—it took Naruto a moment to realize that meant that they were adopted and not blood related. Kakashi continued to add more lines and Naruto got to see how all the names he heard tonight fit together—he was honestly amazed that Kakashi could recite all of this information off the top of his head, though a lot of members were delineated with an “X” which Naruto assumed meant Kakashi couldn’t remember or just didn’t care to write their names down.

“Tajima—Sasuke’s great-grandfather—had several siblings, but he was only ever really close with Baru, who led what would eventually become the current Uchiha branch family. Naori now leads them, along with her husband Naka.” Kakashi finally finished his drawing and turned the paper over to Naruto, who looked at it like it was a foreign language. He had absolutely _no_ clue how any of these people related to Sasuke, but it at least put the people he had met tonight in perspective.

Kakashi chuckled at the incredulous look on his face—Naruto knew he really had the worst poker face in the world. “Basically, you’re dating the crown prince of Japan.”

“Oh…but I still don’t understand why Itachi isn’t the heir. He’s older than Sasuke by, like, five years and he’s actively involved with the family companies.” Naruto didn’t care if Sasuke was the King of Siam, he’d still be with the jerk regardless of his family pedigree—but objectively speaking, Itachi seemed like the pretty obvious choice for successor of the family.

“Hmm, well like I said, Madara has his reasons for choosing Sasuke.” Kakashi looked up as another soft peal sounded throughout the house, “Ah, we should head out to the garden.”

“Huh? Why?” Naruto neatly folded the piece of paper and slid it into his pocket—he was curious about how these people related to his boyfriend. Naruto had never once made a family tree of his own—even if he did, it would only include him and Iruka; that didn’t exactly form a _tree._ The Uchiha family had some serious assholes, but Naruto found himself mesmerized by the idea of such a large family. He wanted to ask Sasuke about it later, when they finally got a chance to be alone.

“The family members that practice _ikebana_ will be showing their newest arrangements tonight.” The only thing Naruto knew about _ikebana_ was that it had something to do with flowers, so he simply followed Kakashi and Gaara out to the gardens. He glanced towards the staircase Sasuke had taken to go change, wondering why his lover was taking so long. As irritating as his boyfriend was being tonight, Naruto still found himself missing Sasuke’s annoyed presence.

Sasuke took several moments to just focus on breathing. As much as he hated to admit it, he had drastically underestimated his family. He had expected a certain degree of criticism and scrutiny, but he hadn’t expected _this._ Not only was he trying to keep from punching any of his family members, he also had to deal with Shisui and Itachi actively shutting him out of whatever was going on between them. Sasuke had expected it of Itachi—his brother adored making Sasuke work everything out himself—but even Shisui was blocking every attempt Sasuke made to get some fucking answers.

Sasuke knew his temper was out of control; Naruto did not deserve any of this, but Sasuke was drowning in anger and, if he was being honest, concern. Having spent the entire afternoon with his brother and Shisui, Sasuke finally noticed the subtle tension between the two. It shook Sasuke to his core—Itachi and Shisui had _always_ been on the same side, had _always_ supported each other, but Sasuke couldn’t shake the feeling that Itachi was shutting Shisui out too. It scared the shit out of Sasuke that Itachi was doing something he couldn’t tell him or Shisui about.

Sasuke rubbed his temples, desperately trying to ease the headache that had gone from gnawing to stabbing as the night progressed. He really wanted a cigarette, but he was torn—he’d seen the disappointed look on his lover’s face when Naruto had arrived. Sasuke would _never_ succumb to something as ridiculous as addiction—he was way too controlling to be at the whim of a substance—and he had easily kicked the habit when Naruto had beaten him at that 5k a year ago, but he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that a cigarette would be fucking _wonderful_ right about now.

It didn’t help that Naruto looked like a goddamn masterpiece in that suit. Sasuke had never seen Naruto dress that formally, and he already planned on having several suits tailored for him the second they got back to New York. Naruto was naturally ridiculously attractive but seeing him in formal attire sent Sasuke into a spiral of possessive lust—he wanted to drag his lover to the nearest bedroom and ravage the blond until they both passed out from the pleasure.

He ripped his stained shirt off and moved to the closet of what used to be his room. Not a single thing had changed since he’d been gone; even the papers he had left on his desk when he moved out were still there, and it looked like the room had been meticulously upkept—there wasn’t a single speck of dust anywhere. Sasuke laughed humorlessly when he noticed that even his old clothes were recently laundered and pressed. Having Naruto practically dump the entirety of his wine all over his shirt hadn’t exactly been fun, but Sasuke knew that the blond had done it for his sake. Sasuke planned on thoroughly showing his lover how much he appreciated him when they got back to their hotel.

“Not enjoying the party?” Sasuke just barely kept from jumping at the unexpected voice that came from his balcony—he’d been so preoccupied with getting his emotions under control that he hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room. He spun around and stared at the tall figure that leaned against the rail, his long black hair fluttering as a breeze swept through the room.

Madara Uchiha didn’t so much as glance at Sasuke, his attention on the people who mingled in the garden down below. Sasuke politely bowed at the waist to the Uchiha patriarch, surprised to see that his great-uncle now had several grey hairs in his long, wild mane. Despite the grey, he still didn’t look anywhere close to his real age—he looked like he was in his fifties, not his seventies.

“ _Ojisama,_ I didn’t realize you would be in here.” Sasuke’s temper was fraying at the edges, but he tried to keep his anger out of his voice. Judging from the smirk and the raised eyebrow Madara sent him, he hadn’t been entirely successful.

“You haven’t answered my question, Sasuke.” Madara turned back to the scene below, where people were gathering for the _ikebana_ presentation. The older man absently toyed with the necklace dangling down his pristine dress-shirt; not a single Uchiha this evening was dressed in anything less than business formal. The gemstone that hung there was worth millions of U.S. dollars and arguably the most famous blue diamond in the world; at the very least it was certainly the biggest. Supposedly, it was Madara’s most treasured possession; the gem was an intense green-blue and the size of Sasuke’s pinky. The history behind the famous heirloom was shrouded in mystery, though Sasuke thought that was just a gimmick to increase its worth. There was even a ridiculous rumor that it had once belonged to Madara’s childhood friend.

“Our family is as hospitable as ever.” Fugaku would have slapped him for speaking so disrespectfully to the family patriarch, but Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to pretend to be subservient tonight—he just wanted this disaster of an evening to end already.

Madara laughed, his voice deep and full; Sasuke was surprised to hear the genuine sound, though his great-uncle had always been unpredictable.

“I must admit, of all the people I thought you would bring back here, that boy never crossed my mind.” Madara chuckled again as he continued to stare down below, “Fate is such a strange thing.”

“What are you talking about?” As far as Sasuke knew, Naruto had absolutely _nothing_ to do with Madara—his great-uncle shouldn’t have had a single connection to his boyfriend. A spike of suspicion and protectiveness shot through Sasuke; his emotions were completely out of control tonight.

“How shameful, Sasuke. Have you completely failed to do your research? Perhaps you aren’t suited to lead this family after all.” Madara finally met his gaze, and Sasuke wasn’t prepared for the older man’s commanding aura. Uchihas were famous for their cold gazes and the magnitude of their presence, but Madara surpassed all of them by leaps and bounds. It took every ounce of Sasuke’s indomitable will to meet that powerful gaze.

“Explain what you mean.” Sasuke ground out, his hands clenching into tight fists as he began to lose control.

“Tell me, have you learned yet why I have chosen you as my successor over your brother? You and I both know Itachi is far more talented than you.” Sasuke took several deep breaths through his nose but managed to hold his tongue.

Madara just smirked and continued, “I suppose it’s about time you knew. Since you haven’t worked it out for yourself quite yet, I should tell you that there _is_ actually something you possess over your brother.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but before he could demand what Madara meant, the Uchiha patriarch continued.

“Uchiha Itachi lacks loyalty.” Sasuke’s entire vision went red, blinded by his own fury. His body moved without his conscious volition to grab at his great-uncle. Sasuke was spun around with his arm pinned tightly behind him before he even realized what had happened. Despite his age, Madara moved faster than the eye could see—the strength in the grip he had on Sasuke’s wrist was just short of breaking his bone. Sasuke gasped but Madara released him before he could even react—Sasuke’s momentum pushed his back into the rail Madara had been leaning on just seconds ago. Sasuke held back his furious snarl by the thinnest of margins; he gripped the rail behind him with such force that he felt one of his fingernails split.

“Tsk. You still have so much to learn, but you have conviction.” Madara wasn’t even fucking breathing hard, his face as composed and unreadable as it always was—as if he hadn’t just exhibited the strength and dexterity of a man half his age. Sasuke belatedly remembered that Madara Uchiha was a master martial artist who had trained since his early adolescence. “Do you not understand it yet, Sasuke? Between you and the family, Itachi will _always_ choose you. It is both his strength and his weakness.

“That devotion to you could be the destruction of the Uchiha family or its salvation. Obito lacks the ruthlessness, Shisui is not a true Uchiha, but _you,_ you are a blank slate capable of fitting the mold required to lead this family.” Sasuke stared at him, his brain moving too sluggishly to comprehend the words coming out of Madara’s mouth.

Madara didn’t seem to need or want a reply; he continued as he tugged his cuffs back into place, “You’ve yet to decide who you will serve or what you will stand for. That’s fine, for now; but I have no doubts that you will step into the role I’ve built for you.”

Madara turned to leave, slipping his hands into his pockets. He paused when he reached the door and glanced back at Sasuke, “Though, I am curious how you can have such faith in that boy being able to handle what will come. It’ll be quite interesting to see how he endures this. Fate truly is a mystery.” He smirked and walked away, leaving Sasuke dumbstruck.

Sasuke released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and rubbed at his throbbing wrist. He told himself that the reason his hands shook was because of the unexpected rush of adrenaline. He focused on getting his breathing back under control and in the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of brilliant blond hair. His heart stuttered as he looked down and saw Naruto talking with Kakashi and Gaara. Sasuke realized that this balcony offered the perfect view of his boyfriend yet remained in the shadows enough that no one below would be able to see whoever stood on the balcony. For several minutes, all Sasuke could do was stare at his boyfriend and wonder what the fuck Sasuke had unknowingly dragged them into. A chill went up his spine from another passing breeze, and Sasuke was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to be with his lover. What more could possibly go wrong tonight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments mean the world to me, so let me know what you think below or message me on any of my social media!
> 
> Also, I included a much nicer version of the CRU-verse Uchiha family tree at the very end. Kakashi's version isn't as pretty and the color-coded one is a lot easier to follow.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. [continuance is strength]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto meets Mikoto;  
> Sasuke gets (another) insane surprise and so does Itachi;  
> Naruto plans on looking into his family;  
> NSFW--ridiculous amount of smut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about how long it has taken me to post this chapter. I've mentioned before how hard it is for me to write smut, but I really challenged myself with this chapter. There are about 2000 words of smut in here! Sorry if it sucks >.> If you want to skip it, just ignore everything after the circle break in the text (Naruto's sun symbol)  
> Also, some extra notes:  
> \- Read about ikebana [here](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-thriving-art-ikebana-japanese-tradition-flower-arranging) it's the same link from the previous chapter, but it fits better here >.>  
> \- The Uchiha family garden is something like [this](https://www.mfa.org/collections/featured-galleries/japanese-garden-tenshin-en)  
> \- The verbal tics in Naruto can be found [here](https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Catchphrases_and_Verbal_Tics) ;if the "hammer" line confused you, it's because usuratonkachi literally translates to something like "thin hammer" (hence Sasuke implying that Naruto is useless--translator humor! lol sorry)  
> \- Read about onigiri [here](https://food52.com/blog/15819-how-to-make-onigiri-japanese-rice-balls-any-which-way) ;but Mikoto adds something special to hers :)  
> \- Fusuma doors look like [this](https://matcha-jp.com/en/3225)  
> \- Here's a [link](https://cotoacademy.com/san-sama-kun-and-chan/) to the reference guide I used for Japanese honorifics  
> \- And finally, read about Koseki [here](https://jp.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/child-family-matters/marriage/family-registry-system/) basically it’s just genealogy records specific to Japan

__

_継続は力なり。 (keizoku wa chikara nari) [continuance is strength]—perseverance is power_

Naruto was rapidly learning that _ikebana_ was a lot more than just flower arrangements. The garden, like everything else in the gorgeous estate, was magnificent—it was a wide, immaculately manicured grassy area with several smaller rock and sand gardens surrounding a large, enclosed pavilion. Along the mesmerizing patterns in the sand were dozens of breathtakingly gorgeous blooming plants. Naruto didn’t have a single bit of gardening experience, but he at least recognized the native Japanese camelia shrub with its distinctively bright pink blossoms. The vivid petals scattered around the entire garden and caught on the soft breeze that swept through the estate; Naruto paused to take in the beautiful scenery, his fingers itching to draw—he did his best to store the images away to paint later. He normally liked drawing in the moment of inspiration, but he had gotten a lot better at recalling images he’d committed to memory.

He’d been so engrossed in taking in the scenery that he missed the announcement from one of the Uchiha family members; he snapped out of his revelry at the sound of soft clapping.

“What just happened?” Naruto whispered to Gaara while politely clapping along with the crowd. The painted _fusuma_ doors around the pavilion were slid open before Gaara could reply, and several flower arrangements were displayed within the building. Even with Naruto’s untrained eye, he could spot the way the different plants complimented one another.

“Mikoto- _san_ has truly outdone herself; these arrangements are so beautiful!” Naruto listened to the various conversations around him, all along the same lines as that one.

“Sasuke’s mother made these?” Naruto asked Kakashi as they mingled around the garden, winding around the crowds to view the different arrangements. They really were breathtaking—Naruto found himself enraptured by the different flowers; he’d kill for his sketchbook right about now.

“Yep. She’s been practicing _ikebana_ for years. Her pieces are very popular.” Another small commotion erupted among the people and the crowds began to part, “Speaking of which, it seems she’s arrived.”

Naruto glanced around and finally caught sight of the woman being escorted to a place already set up in the pavilion.

 _Sasuke looks just like her._ Naruto was dumbfounded as he stared at the beautiful woman who was the mother of his boyfriend. She was so frail, so painfully thin that Naruto wanted to dash over and catch her when she stumbled slightly on one of the stepstones. The two women who escorted Mikoto easily caught her and she smiled thankfully at them; Naruto was struck by that easy smile—it was just like the rare ones from Sasuke that Naruto cherished more than anything else. Logically, Naruto knew that she had to be somewhere in her fifties, but she just didn’t look it; he supposed it made sense, given that Sasuke looked considerably younger when he wasn’t scowling and Mikoto constantly wore a soft smile that lit up her face. Naruto couldn’t help but wonder if Itachi had inherited her smile, too—it certainly reminded him of the small smiles the elder Uchiha brother often wore, but Itachi’s were always tempered by the knowledge in his eyes, the sheer magnitude of his presence.

An informal line began to form as Mikoto took her seat and several people came up to her to compliment her on the _ikebana_ presentation. Naruto noticed that everyone only spoke Japanese to her, and although she smiled and spoke to those who came up to her, Naruto saw that her gaze often wandered over the garden searchingly. Naruto was about to go hunt his boyfriend down because he got the strong feeling that Sasuke’s mother wanted to see her son when he felt a familiar hand on the small of his back.

“There you are. What took you so long?” Naruto glanced back and froze when he saw the expression on his lover’s face. Sasuke looked _pissed,_ but it was more than that—if Naruto didn’t know any better, he’d say his boyfriend looked shaken, but what the hell could have rattled him enough to make him look like _that?_ “Sasuke, what’s wrong?” Naruto was about to drag them to the nearest private area he could find but Sasuke just shook his head and took his hand.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you,” Sasuke squeezed his hand and Naruto squeezed back, swallowing all the questions that wanted to escape his mouth. He released a frustrated breath and forced another smile onto his face; for some reason it was a lot easier to smile with his lover’s hand tightly held in his.

When Mikoto saw Sasuke she gasped in delight and jumped up, her hands moving to cup her youngest son’s face. Sasuke caught her and steadied her before she could fall over, a small smile on his face as he lowered his head and let his mother fuss over him—she was so tiny compared to him, but she smiled so broadly as she smoothed out imaginary wrinkles on Sasuke’s shirt. Naruto’s breath caught and his heart stuttered a bit at the scene—he never dwelled on the idea of his own mother or imagine what she might have been like, but seeing the way Mikoto doted on Sasuke and the way his obstinate and often cold lover softened under her touch, Naruto couldn’t help the pang of longing that battered his heart. It was an old pain, a bruise that had never really healed, but he ignored it as Sasuke turned to introduce him.

“ _Okasan,_ this is Naruto,” Sasuke brushed his hand along Naruto’s arm as he introduced him to his mother; Mikoto’s smile only got bigger as she reached out a hand to Naruto. He was entranced as he took her hand and surprised by the firm grip she used to pull him closer.

“Naruto- _kun,_ it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Mikoto’s voice was soft and quiet, her Japanese slightly accented—Naruto had heard many variations of the Tokyo dialect when he and Sasuke had walked around the city, but Mikoto’s accent was different from those he’d heard in the city. He was tempted to ask her about it, but he didn’t want to be rude, especially since Naruto knew that his own Japanese was accented. Sasuke gently moved his mother back to her seat and she smiled apologetically to him as she pulled Naruto to sit down next to her.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mikoto- _san.”_ Mikoto laughed and it took Naruto a moment to realize that his nervous verbal tic had reappeared—Iruka had no idea where Naruto’s _dattebayo_ came from, but he’d never been able to get rid of the strange phrase, though it had gotten a little better as he had grown. Apparently though, it still liked to resurface when he was nervous.

Naruto laughed and blushed as he apologized for his imperfect Japanese, but Mikoto shook her head at him, “No, no, I love it! I only laughed because I knew a girl once who used to say something similar—I think it was _dattebane._ She often said it when she got excited or angry. It’s a little odd, but you kind of remind me of her…”

“Ah, my adoptive dad has no idea where I picked it up. Maybe I heard it on an anime or something when I was really young,” Naruto relaxed as they continued to speak, his sudden nerves subsiding when he glanced at Sasuke, who was smiling tenderly at him.

“Y’know, Sasuke has told me about your amazing _onigiri._ He refuses to eat any but yours. I’ve searched all over Manhattan, but I’ve never been able to find any that Sasuke says are as good as yours.” Mikoto blushed and her eyes lit up as she smiled at her youngest son; when she turned that sweet smile on Naruto, he couldn’t stop himself from melting.

“I’d be more than happy to show you how to make them! You must come back sometime so I can teach you. Naruto- _kun,_ will you tell me more about your lives in New York? Sasuke never tells me about his everyday life.” Mikoto shook her head and waved off Sasuke’s attempt to apologize, though it sounded terribly defensive (he _really_ sucks at apologies). “Oh, don’t worry dear, I know you’ve never been good at ‘useless chit-chat’, as your father would call it.”

Naruto laughed at the frown on Sasuke’s face, “Yeah his communication skills are severely lacking. There was this one time when we first met that he called me an _usuratonkachi,_ but I’d never heard the term before, so I thought he called me hammer or something like that. I was so mad when I realized what it meant,” Mikoto laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, and Naruto belatedly realized he probably shouldn’t have said the derogatory term in front of Sasuke’s mother, but Mikoto didn’t seem to mind.

Naruto found that he no longer had to force a smile onto his face—there was already one there; he continued to tell Mikoto stories about him and Sasuke and their lives in Manhattan and she told him stories about Sasuke as a child. Naruto was all but rolling on the ground when she told him about Sasuke’s attempt to hide a vase he had broken by burying it in the rock garden. Sasuke sighed and groaned and rolled his eyes throughout the conversation, but there was a small smile on his lips, and his gaze when it landed on Naruto was so soft and warm that Naruto almost gave in to the urge to kiss him—he vowed to get his fill when they got back to the hotel. The anger and irritation and concern from earlier in the evening was still there, but the burden of those negative emotions felt lighter than it had all night.

Sasuke should have known that Naruto would charm his mother—after all, the blond had torn through every single one of Sasuke’s own defenses when they met, and his mother was far more accepting of such advances. His mind was still reeling over the conversation with Madara, but the sound of his boyfriend’s and mother’s laughter was soothing him, even if a lot of it came at his expense—he hadn’t heard his mother laugh like that for longer than he cared to admit. He endured the teasing and embarrassing stories, and if he was being entirely honest with himself, he actually enjoyed the conversation. He was no longer a hairsbreadth away from losing his temper, rather his anger and frustration faded into resigned kind of exhaustion.

Sasuke made it a point to quietly send away the others who wanted to speak to his mother—most of them just wanted to try and curry favor with Madara’s cherished niece in the hopes of ingratiating themselves to the Uchiha patriarch. His mother’s time was better spent enjoying a conversation with his beloved than politely accepting and maneuvering the machinations of those who surrounded their family—besides, Sasuke needed to hear his mother’s and boyfriend’s joy and laughter more than he was willing to admit, so he made sure they got to speak for as long as they wanted, regardless of the envious stares.

“I’ve never seen you smile like that, _otouto,_ it’s very charming,” Itachi murmured as he passed to speak to their mother, who looked more and more drained as the evening segued into late night. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes—he refused to give Itachi the satisfaction of irritating him anymore.

“ _Okasan,_ I’m overjoyed that you like Naruto as much as I do, but you should go and rest—you worked so hard on the _ikebana_ presentation. I’ll make sure Sasuke brings Naruto back again.” Itachi took their mother’s hands and she pouted up at him but sighed and capitulated, nonetheless. Sasuke had been about to suggest the same—his mother had always been easily exhausted and she had overexerted herself with the presentation.

“Naruto- _kun,_ promise you’ll return soon? I can’t wait to teach you how to make _onigiri—_ there’s a special ingredient I add to Sasuke’s.” Mikoto beamed at Naruto and pulled him into a tight hug; Naruto froze for a moment and Sasuke caught a flash of _something_ in his eyes—something that almost seemed like…wistfulness; it was gone before Sasuke could be sure and his boyfriend smiled softly and returned the hug, his hands so gentle, as if afraid she would break if he held too tightly. Sasuke watched as his mother stretched onto her tiptoes and whispered into Naruto’s ear, but he couldn’t make out what she said—whatever it was left Naruto smiling softly and blushing slightly, his gaze even softer and warmer when it landed on Sasuke. Sasuke bowed his head and let his mother kiss his cheek in goodbye and promised to return soon with Naruto.

The nurses who were always with Mikoto escorted her away, but before Sasuke could slip away with his boyfriend, Inabi traipsed into the pavilion. All the warmth that had surrounded Sasuke as he watched Naruto make his mother laugh evaporated and he couldn’t suppress the exhausted sigh that escaped his lips. He had been so very, _very_ wrong about Inabi—his cousin hadn’t gained any sense at all in the past few years Sasuke had been gone; no, the dumbest person in their family tree who disgraced the Uchiha surname by existing had in fact gotten _worse._

“There you are! _You boys_ are never going to believe what I have planned for you.” Inabi pulled both Sasuke and Itachi close and grinned at Itachi.

“Excuse me?” Itachi deadpanned, his expression so wry Sasuke almost laughed, or he would have if he wasn’t glaring at the arm Inabi had slung across his shoulders. There were times Sasuke really wished his glares could cause massive destruction—perhaps in another life he would be so lucky.

“My favorite cousin is getting married! Did you really think I would let you tie the knot without throwing you a bachelor party fit for an Uchiha? _And,_ Sasuke- _chan_ has finally returned home! We can’t let such an event go uncelebrated.” Itachi stared blankly at Inabi as Sasuke willed his hands to stay at his side instead of decking his cousin—Sasuke had _never_ in his life been called “Sasuke- _chan_ ”, not even when he was a child, least of all by the universally recognized disaster of the Uchiha family tree.

“Sounds great! Sasuke could definitely benefit from kicking back and enjoying a bachelor party, and I’m sure Itachi appreciates you planning that for him.” Naruto’s unexpected voice had Sasuke whipping his head around so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash.

“ _What?”_ Sasuke was about to smack the shit out of his boyfriend for suggesting he actually attend whatever catastrophe Inabi had planned—even Itachi’s jaw dropped in surprise at Naruto’s words. If Sasuke wasn’t so infuriated with the blond, he would have collapsed into a fit of laughter; he had never seen Itachi look that shocked.

“I’m sorry, excuse us for a second?” Naruto pulled him away before Inabi could reply.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Sasuke hissed at his boyfriend, only barely managing to keep from yelling.

“Think about it, _teme!_ Going to the bachelor party will give you some more chances to figure out what’s going on with Itachi!” Naruto sighed and shook his head, muttering “When did I become the voice of reason in this relationship? Has all that whiskey killed your braincells?”

Sasuke ground his teeth together but couldn’t deny that it wasn’t the worst idea he had ever heard—that is if he didn’t end up in jail for parricide. He breathed deeply and told Inabi to text him the details of the party—the utter look of disbelief on Itachi’s face was almost worth it. Sasuke grabbed Naruto’s hand and dragged his boyfriend to the car he had his driver keep idling for the past half hour, intending to make an escape the second his mother tired; they only stopped when Gaara came up to them.

“Gaara, thanks for coming tonight. I’ll return the suit to you tomorrow,” Naruto smiled sheepishly at his friend but Gaara just shook his head.

“Keep it,” Sasuke nodded politely to the new Sabaku family leader, but those pale green eyes no longer held a spark of amusement in them as they did when he had first arrived; rather, there was a skepticism and wariness in them now. Sasuke had well and truly run out of fucks to give, but he did make a mental note to figure out what the redhead had heard to suddenly make Gaara so apprehensive of him.

Sasuke slipped into the back seat and rubbed his tired eyes as Naruto finished his goodbyes; Sasuke didn’t release a sigh of relief until their driver had cleared the long driveway of the Uchiha family estate.

“Well, that was… _something.”_ Naruto muttered as he rolled the kinks out of his neck and huffed out a sigh.

“You’re as eloquent as ever,” Sasuke grinned as Naruto snorted and as their gazes met, he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore—they both fell into a fit of snickers; Sasuke couldn’t tell if it was because of the absolute bullshit of the night or the effects of exhaustion, perhaps a strange mixture of both.

“God, Sas, that was _awful!”_ Naruto continued to laugh and shake his head in disbelief; Sasuke finally got himself back under control and groaned as he rested his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder, finally breathing in Naruto’s scent the way he had wanted to all night; Naruto had always smelled like pine and cedar and something that reminded Sasuke of sunshine—a warm and earthy scent that always relaxed him.

“I didn’t think it would be that bad…” He whispered so quietly that it was a wonder that Naruto even heard him—Sasuke had always been awful at admitting his…inaccuracies but with Naruto, it was easier to admit his mistakes.

“Yeah, I figured that out after the third time I had to keep you from punching one of your aunts.” Naruto turned slightly so that he could pull Sasuke into a loose embrace—his boyfriend’s chin resting on top of his head. Sasuke sighed and nuzzled into the warmth of Naruto’s broad chest; the fabric of the suit was exquisite, but he wanted nothing more than to feel his lover’s skin under his fingertips.

“Hey, Sasuke?” Naruto’s voice was quiet as Sasuke pulled back to look into those azure eyes that mesmerized him every time he indulged in his habit of staring into them.

“Hn?” Naruto pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and as he unfolded it, Sasuke realized that it was a simplified version of the Uchiha family tree. It only took a moment to recognize the handwriting—his eidetic memory made it simple to remember his former teacher’s script.

“Can you please explain to me what the _hell_ it means to have an aunt ‘removed’ or the difference between a second cousin and a third cousin?” Sasuke laughed again at the incredulous look on his lover’s face; he scooted closer and traced along the family lines and explained how everyone related to him. It wasn’t until he started explaining what a third cousin was that he realized that Naruto was genuinely trying to absorb the information. Sasuke froze for a second as understanding dawned on him—the reason Naruto was curious about his family connections was because Naruto had never learned about familial relations beyond that of the basics. His boyfriend had never had the chance to _have_ an extended family. The realization humbled Sasuke, and though he tried to keep his tone the same, he knew Naruto noticed the change when the blond smiled ruefully at him.

“Family registers are recorded in Japan, aren’t they?” Naruto stared down at the family tree that Kakashi had drawn, but Sasuke knew his lover wasn’t actually seeing the piece of paper.

“Yes, they’re called _koseki.”_ Sasuke wanted to tell Naruto that he could have a private investigator look into the Namikaze family within the hour, but he also knew that his boyfriend would never accept that—Naruto would search for answers on his own, but that didn’t mean Sasuke wouldn’t do his best to help.

“Are they free to the public?” Determined azure eyes met his as they arrived at the hotel and exited the vehicle.

“Not quite, but as long as your name appears on the document, you have the right to access the registry…” Sasuke hesitated, wracking his tired brain for how best to phrase his next statement.

“But?” His boyfriend prompted, his brow arched and a distinct glint of amusement in his eyes—Sasuke internally laughed at his own absurd hesitation; Naruto didn’t need him to sugarcoat the truth, if he did, they never would have fallen for each other. For all their differences, they both appreciated candidness and honesty with each other; Sasuke could mislead, outmaneuver, and bluff with an efficiency that bordered on prophetic, but with Naruto he had always been candid and blunt. There was never a reason to soften his words with Naruto; the blond could handle anything he had to say and even return it in kind.

“Namikaze is a unique surname but the _koseki_ won’t be easy to find, especially since you don’t have a _juminhyo—_ the registry for last known address.” They finally arrived at their room and Naruto hummed as he stretched out on the couch, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his suit jacket and vest; Sasuke didn’t even bother with pretext, he just draped himself over Naruto’s lap, his legs on either side of his lover’s waist. He buried his face in the crook of his boyfriend’s neck and breathed deeply, but didn’t push—now that they were alone, Sasuke found his patience again. This conversation was important to Naruto, so Sasuke shelved his lust—for now.

Naruto absently ran his fingers through Sasuke’s hair and Sasuke was too tired to hold back his content groan. He’d never been too keen on having his lovers play with his hair in any of his previous relationships, but with Naruto—like everything else—it felt so different. Having the blonde’s nimble fingers brush through his hair could lull him into the deepest sleep or drive him insane with lust; it all depended on his boyfriend’s mood. There was a time when Sasuke had hated how much control Naruto had over him, how much power his boyfriend held, but it stopped bothering him when he realized that he had that same power over Naruto. Sasuke had always had that power in his previous relationships—he’d never bent to anyone’s will but his own, but with Naruto, Sasuke had learned that there was pleasure he’d never known in giving control over to his lover, his partner.

“Your mother wasn’t what I expected,” Naruto murmured; Sasuke opened his eyes and met his lover’s gaze. His boyfriend was giving him a chance to open up about his mother, but he knew Naruto well enough to know that if Sasuke refused, the blond wouldn’t push—not unless it became necessary.

Sasuke sighed but felt himself opening his mouth to speak despite the fact that he had never talked about his mother to anyone, “She’s better now. I haven’t seen her that energetic in a long time…” Naruto continued to run his fingers through Sasuke’s hair, but he had no doubts that his boyfriend’s entire focus was on him.

“When I was really young, I didn’t realize just how frail she was. Because she was born premature, she has a very weak constitution and later she developed a heart arrythmia. Most of my life, she was in and out of the hospital—I would get so upset when she couldn’t leave with us that I refused to go see her a few times. It wasn’t until Itachi explained everything to me that I realized she would never be able to do certain things—she would never be healthy enough to leave the hospital forever. Most of the time, it was just me and Itachi,” together, in that big house that had always felt cold no matter how much Sasuke turned up the heat. He didn’t say that to Naruto, but his boyfriend could read him so well that he understood without Sasuke saying.

“Where was your dad?” Naruto’s brows furrowed and Sasuke couldn’t stop himself from tracing the faint lines on his boyfriend’s cheeks, strange birthmarks that almost looked like whiskers—they were so faint that you wouldn’t see them unless you were extremely close; Sasuke knew those lines so well he could trace them with his eyes closed.

“My father was often away on business. Madara never approved of him so he worked intensely to be accepted into the family businesses. Itachi always refused the tutors and nannies that our father sent to care for us.” Itachi had always cared for Sasuke himself—Sasuke couldn’t remember anyone else taking that role, even though his brother had only been a child himself when Sasuke was born.

“What about Shisui?” Sasuke huffed a small laugh, his lover really was far more intelligent than people gave him credit for.

“Yes, Shisui spent the majority of his childhood taking care of us, but he’s only a year older than Itachi. They were both still so young, but back then I always felt like they were mature adults. I remember this one week, where mother was hospitalized, and father was in China and out of contact so Itachi cooked up an entire feast to keep me distracted. It was way too much food for just the two of us, so Shisui came over and helped us eat it all, but I still felt like I had gained forty pounds overnight.” They had spent the night outside, enjoying the warm summer evening. Sasuke had never felt as warm as he had tucked in between Itachi and Shisui. _No,_ he immediately corrected himself—he always felt that warm with Naruto.

“Sas, Itachi and Shisui…” Naruto hesitated and Sasuke cocked his eyebrow at his boyfriend; the blond very rarely hesitated before speaking. “It’s just that I keep getting the feeling that they’re more than just friends…” Sasuke paused and blinked at his lover, completely thrown off guard. “I could be completely off-base, but—”

“No, you’ve always been better at reading people than I am. And if you’re right, that might explain why Itachi and Shisui are at odds right now…” His synapses were firing at lightspeed as certain memories began to make more sense; how he had never noticed the way his older brother and his closest friend looked at each other was more of a mystery than anything else, though in his defense, they both possessed some of the best poker faces in the world.

“That still doesn’t explain why Itachi is going through with this marriage to Konan…” Sasuke murmured, his headache returning as he tried to figure it all out. Naruto gently kissed his forehead and Sasuke relaxed into the hold Naruto had on his waist.

“You’ll have plenty of time to talk to Itachi at the party,” Sasuke groaned at the reminder that he was going to have to endure whatever Inabi had planned.

“Don’t think for one second that I’m not going to pay you back for throwing me under the bus like that,” Sasuke glared at his boyfriend, but Naruto just grinned back—the same way he always did when Sasuke scowled at him.

“Yeah well, while you’re enjoying Inabi’s _lovely_ personality _,_ I’ll be trudging through family records. How many Namikazes do you think there are in Japan?” Sasuke couldn’t help but smile at the idea of Naruto buried under a pile of books and registers, groaning loudly as he suffered through the tedious task. Sasuke would have given anything to be there to help Naruto find his family records, but he knew his boyfriend wouldn’t let him help until Sasuke had figured out what was going on with Itachi, regardless of his own search for his family.

“Call me if you need any help,” Sasuke whispered as he leaned in and finally kissed his lover the way he had wanted to all night. His boyfriend immediately responded, licking into his mouth with a fervor that had stopped surprising Sasuke within the first month of their meeting—the heat between them had only burned hotter and brighter the longer they spent with each other. Sasuke sighed as he indulged in that rare experience he had never felt with anyone else—the pleasure of letting his lover take control.

Naruto hummed as he felt Sasuke relax around him—his boyfriend was almost always the controlling type in bed—though Naruto always made him work for it—so he reveled in having his lover yielding and compliant. Naruto used the grip he had on Sasuke’s waist to move his boyfriend’s hips, their growing erections rubbing against each other. Sasuke groaned and broke their kiss to lean back and take over the undulation of his hips, his pace faster and more fluid. His lover’s nimble fingers wrapped around the tie Naruto still had on and he yanked the fabric so that Naruto’s lips were on his neck. Naruto chuckled but complied, sucking harshly on the delicate skin just under his jaw, right where he knew Sasuke was most sensitive. Naruto couldn’t help the grin of satisfaction he got when Sasuke moaned and carded the fingers of his free hand into Naruto’s hair, his hips losing a bit of their rhythm.

“Do you have any idea what seeing you in this suit did to me all night?” Sasuke growled as Naruto continued to mark his lover’s neck with love bites that wouldn’t fade anytime soon, just low enough that they would be mostly hidden under the collar of his shirts.

“Hmm? Did seeing me all dressed up have an effect on you? An effect on _this?”_ Naruto blew softly on the marks that now trailed along his boyfriend’s neck as he slipped his hand to Sasuke’s inner thigh, his fingers brushing lightly over his lover’s cock.

Sasuke’s movements stuttered as he groaned and used the grip he had on Naruto’s tie to pull him into a deep kiss that was all tongues and teeth—even while letting Naruto set the pace, Sasuke was still a controlling bastard; Naruto absolutely loved it. He nipped at his boyfriend’s bottom lip in reprimand before he shifted his hands to the backs of Sasuke’s thighs, just shy of his ass, and lifted him in one fluid move. His boyfriend wasn’t light—he had as much muscle packed onto his lithe body as Naruto did—but Naruto had always been able to carry his lover easily. Sasuke gasped slightly but wrapped his arms around Naruto’s neck as he pulled him into another kiss; Naruto groaned at the way his boyfriend’s cock twitched at Naruto’s sudden movement, their cocks pressed against each other as Sasuke wrapped his legs tightly around Naruto’s waist.

Naruto didn’t break the kiss as he carried Sasuke to the grand piano, intent on making use of the gorgeous instrument. Sasuke laughed when Naruto set him onto the covered keyboard and leaned back on the closed top board, legs spread and elbows bent. Naruto hummed in pleasure, eating up the gorgeous view before him—he was tempted to draw the alluring scene, his beautiful lover erect with a provocative heat in his dark eyes while resting on an instrument famous for its beauty was one of the most irresistible displays Naruto had ever seen, but he instead committed the view to memory and began to undo the tie around his lover’s neck, never breaking his boyfriend’s gaze. Sasuke just smirked and let Naruto undress him, spreading his legs slightly as Naruto stepped in-between.

“Hmm,” Naruto wrapped the undone tie around his finger, considering how best to use the fabric—it wouldn’t be the first time he found a much more appealing use for the garment than its intended purpose, hell it wouldn’t even be the fifth or tenth time and the way Sasuke bit his bottom lip told Naruto that his lover remembered _exactly_ how he had used the garment previously. Afterwards, his lover had been too sated and blissed-out to be mad about the wrinkles in the expensive fabric, or the stains in the one before that, or the rips in the one before _that._ Naruto grinned and set the tie aside, reaching for the belt around Sasuke’s hips; he made sure to avoid his lover’s erection, earning a small growl from him. Naruto had spent the whole night annoyed that he had to rebuff Sasuke’s advances—he was in the mood to take his time, and Naruto had always had more stamina than his boyfriend. As they had grown to know each other’s pleasures even better, Naruto’s patience had grown with the intimate knowledge; in the three years they had been together, Naruto had learned that there was so much pleasure to be had in taking his time, especially when his boyfriend started getting impatient.

He set aside the belt and tugged out Sasuke’s dress-shirt from his slacks; his lover began to lose his patience and sat up to pull Naruto into another deep kiss as he shucked off his suit jacket. Naruto chuckled but gave his lover what he wanted, cupping his chin and angling his jaw right where they both liked it most, his free hand plucking at the buttons that held the shirt together, stopping about midway down the garment to unbutton Sasuke’s slacks and draw down the zipper. Sasuke groaned and lifted his hips so Naruto could pull off his pants along with the fitted briefs Sasuke preferred; Naruto sighed in pleasure as he undid the last few buttons on Sasuke’s shirt but stopped his boyfriend from removing it entirely. Naruto grinned as he toed the bench over and sat down on the comfortable seat, immensely enjoying the view as Sasuke moved his feet to rest on the bench on either side of Naruto.

Naruto was mesmerized by the beauty of his lover, naked but for the white dress-shirt that hung loosely down his shoulders, framing the toned muscles of his chest and abdomen. Sasuke hummed and bit his lip as Naruto continued to drink in the sight like a parched man in a desert, his eyes roving over every bit of exposed pale skin, the color so smooth and creamy—there wasn’t a single blemish on him and Naruto found himself caressing his lover before he even realized he had moved. He started at Sasuke’s foot, nipping at the spot just above his ankle as his other hand rubbed small, slow circles in the sensitive place behind his boyfriend’s knee; Sasuke’s soft, content moans warmed Naruto up from the inside out and he continued to kiss his way up that soft skin he adored so much until he reached his inner thighs. He glanced up to see Sasuke’s eyes half closed and dilated with pleasure, a slight rosy tint across his sharp cheekbones and his chest rising in quick pants—Naruto groaned at the sight, his aching cock dripping a bead of precum. He licked and nipped his way across Sasuke’s toned thigh, leaving another trail of blooming love bites to match the ones on Sasuke’s neck, until his lover’s fingers were digging into his scalp, his head thrown back in pleasure as Naruto finally laved a long, wet kiss onto his boyfriend’s cock. Sasuke’s entire body shuddered as Naruto lavished his cock with small, quick kisses that did not satisfy his lover, if the hand digging into his scalp was any indicator. Naruto laughed quietly as he met Sasuke’s dark gaze and massaged the skin around his boyfriend’s balls, brushing against his entrance.

“Naruto…” Sasuke’s voice was breathy and broken, as close to a whimper as Naruto had ever heard come out of his mouth. Naruto smiled and nipped at his lover’s thigh again, enjoying every second of his boyfriend being so compliant. Sasuke released a frustrated groan and rocked his hips forward, his cock brushing Naruto’s lips.

“We’re just getting started, _teme,”_ Naruto murmured as he licked Sasuke up from base to tip, pressing another small kiss on his lover’s head; Sasuke jerked in surprise and released a louder moan, his eyes squeezed shut as he threw his head back and buried his fingers into Naruto’s hair. Naruto hummed happily, his boyfriend’s gratification igniting his own pleasure; he finally began to lave Sasuke’s cock in earnest, lips wrapping around the base as his hand lightly caressed the tip, dipping into the slit that was already steadily dripping precum. Naruto licked up the fluid and slid his tongue ring into his lover’s slit, immensely pleased by the scream Sasuke released. He worked his tongue all around Sasuke’s head, using his tongue ring to drag out moan after moan from his lover, each one more indecent than the last; Sasuke’s hips began jerking as Naruto softened his throat and swallowed his entire length, humming around the engorged flesh.

“Naruto, I—” Sasuke couldn’t even finish his sentence before Naruto sped up and used every trick in the book to drive his lover insane with his mouth; Sasuke’s hips seized as he came and Naruto pulled back to swallow his lover’s orgasm, his hand working to milk his boyfriend’s cock for all he had. Sasuke collapsed onto the top board, his legs falling limply around Naruto as he lifted his head to meet Naruto’s gaze, mouth open as he panted to catch his breath. He was so beautiful, Naruto couldn’t help but stare, even as his hands moved on their own to spread his boyfriend’s thighs.

“You’re so beautiful…” It took Naruto a moment to realize that it wasn’t him that said that; Sasuke’s hand gently cupped Naruto’s cheek as his thumb brushed across his bottom lip, wiping away the liquid there. Naruto closed his eyes in contentment and kissed his lover’s thumb, lightly biting at the finger before meeting his boyfriend’s sated gaze again; he grinned and nuzzled at the spot just below Sasuke’s balls. His lover hissed and shivered, his skin still over sensitized from his orgasm; Naruto didn’t give him any warning before he lapped at his entrance. His boyfriend screamed as his back bowed and hips jerked up, heels digging into the bench as Naruto dipped his tongue into his lover’s entrance, working him open.

He paused in his ministrations to pull Sasuke’s thigh onto his shoulder and move his other leg to spread him open further, peppering his thigh with featherlight kisses in the process. Sasuke was keening at the overstimulation but his fingers returned to Naruto’s hair and he pulled his knee to his hip; Naruto took his time, swirling his tongue around his lover’s entrance before delving into the tight ring of muscles over and over again, the broken moans from his boyfriend the sweetest melody as he worked. By the time Sasuke was completely prepped, he was already half-hard again and Naruto was all but vibrating out of his skin with the need to pound into his lover, his own cock twitching in his slacks.

He took a moment to breathe and get himself under control, but Sasuke slid into his lap and pulled him into a deep kiss; Naruto shuddered and moaned as his lover rubbed his perfect ass over his clothed cock, his hands clenching onto Sasuke’s hips to stop the movement—anymore and he might finish before he got to enjoy his lover’s tight heat. Sasuke nuzzled against his throat and wrapped his legs around Naruto’s waist, lightly nibbling on his earlobe

“Bed. Now.” Sasuke’s hoarse whisper sent another shiver through Naruto and he was carrying his lover to their bed before he’d even realized he moved. Sasuke continued to pepper his neck with long, wet kisses until Naruto pushed him onto the bed and stepped back to rip his own clothes off.

Sasuke’s gaze was so lust-riddled that Naruto groaned again, and when his lover slipped his fingers into his own mouth, the breath rushed out of Naruto. He was frozen, enraptured as Sasuke spread his legs and circled his fingers around his open entrance.

“Fuck,” Naruto groaned as he ripped off his clothes, a few buttons popping off his shirt in his haste—he barely even noticed, as his eyes were locked on his boyfriend, who was steadily fingering himself as his cock fully hardened. Naruto breathed deeply and pumped himself twice when he finally kicked off his pants, enjoying the glorious view of his beautiful lover fucking himself. Naruto harshly pulled away Sasuke’s fingers and spun him around; Sasuke moaned and looked over his shoulder to meet Naruto’s gaze as he stretched his arms and arched his back, his ass rubbing against Naruto’s cock. Naruto groaned and slid his length through the cleft of his lover’s ass, massaging the supple muscles above Sasuke’s thighs. They both moaned and Naruto ran his hands along Sasuke’s hips, staring into dark eyes as he reached for the lube that sat on the nightstand. Sasuke licked his lips and rubbed against Naruto again, a teasing glint in his eyes; Naruto narrowed his eyes and smacked his lover’s ass as he opened the bottle and coated himself liberally, using the excess to circle around Sasuke’s entrance. His boyfriend hissed at the sudden cold, glaring back at Naruto who just grinned in return before slipping his finger into his lover, curling his finger until the arms Sasuke was using to hold himself up collapsed. Naruto grinned and lined up his cock as Sasuke trembled; he pushed in slowly, glorying in the tight heat that clamped down on his cock, stealing the breath from his lungs. He shuddered once he was fully sheathed and focused on breathing to let his lover adjust, but the controlling bastard had other plans in mind; Sasuke rolled his hips and curved his upper body until he could bury his face in Naruto’s neck, one of his hands clenching into Naruto’s hair as the other one dug into his thigh.

“Fuck, Sas!” Naruto automatically moved to stabilize his lover, ending with Sasuke in Naruto’s lap with his back tightly pressed against his chest.

“ _Move damnit!”_ Naruto growled as the last bit of control he had snapped, moving so that he sat at the edge of the bed with Sasuke in his lap and his hands harshly spreading his lover’s thighs as he pulled out and slammed back in. Sasuke’s back bowed and his mouth opened on a silent scream as Naruto pounded into him. He didn’t give his lover a single break, slipping his tongue into Sasuke’s mouth and moving his dominant hand to pump his boyfriend’s cock in time with his thrusts. Sasuke whimpered and licked up Naruto’s tongue as his fingers continued to clench in his hair; Naruto completely lost any sense of time as they moved together, Sasuke rolling back onto him as he surged up into his boyfriend. When his lover’s entire body seized and Sasuke’s orgasm shot over his chest Naruto bit at his lip and continued to thrust into the heat that tightened even more around his cock, finally losing every bit of control as he spilled into his boyfriend.

It was a long time before either of them could move, and Naruto had to nudge his lover a few times before he groaned in acknowledgement. “I know how annoying you are about being clean, if you fall asleep now you’ll just wake up in a few hours complaining about how sticky you are.” Naruto teased as he helped his boyfriend to the shower, all but carrying Sasuke’s limp form; Naruto rolled his eyes but took great pleasure in caring for his boyfriend, who held on to him in an uncharacteristic display of clinginess.

“No one ever believes me when I tell them how much of a _tsundere_ you are,” Naruto teased as he kissed over all the marks that he had made on Sasuke’s thighs and hips, reveling in the red rosettes forming on soft pale skin.

“Shut up, _usuratonkachi_ _,”_ Sasuke murmured as he pulled him up and kissed him again, long and deep and _perfect._ Naruto sighed happily and finished up their shower; he only did a half-assed job of drying them off before he crawled into bed with his lover, his body heavy and sated. They wrapped around each other like ivy on a trellis, both of them falling into a deep sleep as they breathed in the scent of their lover, their partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments mean the world to me so drop me one down below; also let me know if all the links I left in the beginning notes are annoying! (or should I put them down here? idk let me know)  
> Feel free to harass me for updates or anything on my social media! Links should be below :) I've started getting a lot more involved with twitter so come tweet with me! :)


	7. [only death will cure a fool]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favorite couple meet up with Inabi;  
> Konan corners Naruto;  
> Naruto talks privately with Shisui (all the concern);  
> Sasuke realizes Inabi is clinically stupid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this chapter took for me to get out—I’ve come to realize that the “transition” chapters are the hardest ones for me to write orz (looking at chapter four <,<)  
>  **I also want to let everyone know that I will officially be trying my hand at juggling multiple WIPs at once…D: sorry! This means that updates might take longer >.< but I am getting a little burnt out on this series and need a distraction. Rest assured, though! I _will_ finish this story if it’s the last thing I do o.o (insert dramatic music)  
>    
>  References:  
>  \- I used this [link](https://www.tofugu.com/japan/underage-drinking-in-japan/) to research underage substance usage in Japan  
>  \- In case anyone was wondering how much a bottle of _Dom_ costs, I’ve provided this [link](https://www.bottledprices.com/champagne/dom-perignon/) <,<  
>  \- Nomikai is the Japanese term for “drinking party” and drinking has a very unique role in how Japanese salarymen conduct business. Read about it [here](http://japan-and-me.com/drunk-salarymen-japan/)!  
>  Also, shout-out to HaninAngel for recommending some awesome playlists to listen to while I worked ❤️  
>    
>  Finally, this chapter was _heavily_ edited by the _amazing, fantastic,_ **magnificent** [spadebrigade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spadebrigade/pseuds/spadebrigade). Please go give my name twin all the love she deserves on her amazing fics ❤️ I'd literally be lost without her
> 
> *****Trigger warnings: allusions to drug-use and abuse of narcotics**

_馬鹿は死ななきゃ治らない。 (baka wa shinanakya naoranai) [only death will cure a fool]—you can’t fix stupid_

Sasuke’s entire body felt sore as he awoke with a groan, yet he could not find it in himself to be annoyed by the small aches. What was annoying him, however, was the incessant sound of his phone ringing. Surprisingly, Naruto was still asleep despite his deranged fondness for waking early. Then again, his lover had always been a heavy sleeper, so Sasuke shouldn’t have been shocked that his phone’s persistent chirping did nothing to disturb the blond who was sprawled out across their bed, his mouth slightly open as he snored softly.

Sasuke grumbled and gently extracted himself from the deliciously warm arms wrapped around his torso.

“ _What?”_ Sasuke hissed into the receiver when he finally found the device that was hidden under the slacks that had been strewn about the living room—he couldn’t even look at the piano without being flooded with an intense wave of satisfaction. The reminder of the previous night’s pleasures, however, was quickly dashed by the annoying sound of Karin’s breathy voice coming from the other end of the line.

“Sasuke, are you just waking up? Oh my God, your voice sounds so deep and—” It took all of Sasuke’s willpower to keep from chucking his phone out the bay window of the penthouse; he took a moment to lament how glorious it would have been to watch the damned thing crash into the pavement dozens of stories below.

“Why did you call me, Karin?” Sasuke ground out every word through his clenched teeth as he ducked back into their room and shoved on a clean pair of pants—if Karin ever found out that she had spoken to him in any state of undress, he really would have to file a restraining order.

“Ah, well…Sasuke, you see—” The line abruptly cut off for a second before another familiar voice came through.

“Is that Sasuke? You were stupid enough to call him that early!? I told you I had it handled!” Sasuke sighed and turned on the coffee maker as he waited for Karin and Suigetsu to stop screeching at each other. How Sasuke had ever gotten them to work together was an absolute mystery, though Karin’s disturbing infatuation with him probably played the biggest role in the matter. She was so obsessed with him, Sasuke wasn’t sure there was anything she _wasn’t_ willing to do for him; he made it a point to remind her that should her obsession become any more of a problem than it already was, he could have her replaced within a day. However, despite being amongst the most annoyingly enamored women he had ever met, she was actually good at her job—thus the only reason Sasuke kept her around.

“Sasuke, I know it’s probably like super early over there—yes, you useless piece of trash, I _know_ he’s fourteen hours ahead—well if you hadn’t messed up the trade—” Sasuke ignored the exchanges between Karin and Suigetsu and pulled out his laptop to look over his companies—he had prepared for some bad scenarios but he hadn’t actually thought the idiots working under him would let his businesses burn to the ground so quickly. They immediately hushed as Sasuke began quietly barking out orders for how to fix the problems that had popped up while he’d been busy dealing with his family. He rushed through a shower and spent the entire morning working until he felt Naruto place a soft kiss to the back of his neck. Sasuke relaxed into the embrace and sighed as the tension leaked out of his shoulders—he hadn’t even noticed how stiff he had gotten since waking.

“You’re up early, everything okay?” His lover murmured as he perched on Sasuke’s desk and took a small sip of Sasuke’s coffee before sticking his tongue out and shoving away the drink.

“Idiot, you know you hate coffee,” Sasuke rolled his eyes at the moron he adored, glancing down at the towel around Naruto’s hips. He had been so caught up with work that he hadn’t even heard his boyfriend get up and shower.

“Mmm, and yet I like the taste of it on your lips,” Naruto murmured as he leaned in and kissed Sasuke, that ridiculously talented tongue of his darting over Sasuke’s lips lightly before pulling him into a deep kiss. Sasuke closed his laptop and was about to pull his lover closer when his cursed phone started ringing again. He was really considering throwing the damned thing out of the window when Naruto broke the kiss, huffed out a cheeky laugh when he looked at the screen, and passed him the device. Sasuke sighed when he saw that he had at least a dozen texts from Inabi and several more coming in.

He groaned as he read through the onslaught of messages. “The party hasn’t even started, and I already want to wring his neck…” Sasuke muttered as he followed his lover to the bedroom to change. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he watched his boyfriend pull on his most comfortable black joggers along with a soft shirt and his _horrendously_ bright black and orange jacket. Sasuke would never in a million years admit out loud how much he liked that jacket, or how comfortable (comforting) it felt the few times he had worn it.

“Will you be researching your family name today?” Sasuke asked, watching his lover carefully. He was worried about his older brother and begrudgingly grateful for the opportunity Naruto had given him to figure out what Itachi was up to, but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to help his lover in his search for answers about his biological family.

“Hmm, I want to, but honestly I’m not really sure where to start,” Naruto did that thing where he crossed his arms, closed his eyes and cocked his head as he hummed in concentration. Sasuke didn’t even bother trying to hide the small smile that formed on his lips as he watched his boyfriend think through his options.

“Why don’t you try the U.S. embassy in Tokyo first?” Sasuke suggested, already looking up the address and forwarding it to his driver.

“Oh, that’s a good idea! I knew you weren’t just a pretty face,” Naruto grinned at him and winked as Sasuke rolled his eyes and continued getting dressed. It was habit to pull on the dress shirt and slacks, despite the fact that he was supposed to be attending a party. If he thought about it too long, he’d realize that the garments were his own form of armor—the professional attire had become more of a crutch to him than he’d ever admit.

“Let’s grab a bite before I meet with my deranged cousin.” Sasuke didn’t really care for breakfast but Naruto did, and the hotel offered a top-class breakfast spread.

“Hmm, in a bit…” Sasuke let his lover pull him closer and indulged in the quiet moments they had before he would have to endure whatever Inabi had planned. They ended up having breakfast delivered to the room and Sasuke had to change into another dress shirt.

.

.

.

Naruto frowned in confusion when their car pulled up to a private airfield. He’d ridden along with Sasuke to where Inabi asked (haughtily ordered) to meet in the hopes of getting a ride to the embassy, but he hadn’t expected to drop Sasuke off in front of a _Learjet._ Naruto didn’t even want to think about how much it cost to rent a Learjet and his heart stuttered a bit at the thought of Inabi _buying_ a private jet for his own personal use. He didn’t care how long he lived or how rich he got; Naruto refused to let himself become comfortable with such an insane waste of money.

“Holy shit…” Naruto muttered as he stepped out of the vehicle with Sasuke and gaped at the scene before him. There were _three_ fully stocked portable bars in the hangar, dozens of multi-million-dollar luxury vehicles, random décor that may or may not have been real silver chandeliers, and a _fleet_ of brightly painted helicopters. Naruto didn’t know if he was more horrified or amused at the extravagantly callous waste of money. He’d spent long enough around Manhattan’s elites to grow accustomed to such exorbitant luxuries, but this blew every last one of Naruto’s experiences out of the water. He felt like he was walking onto the set of the _Hangover_ movie he had forced Sasuke to watch with him. What Naruto found even more amusing (horrifying) was the ridiculous amount of people carousing around the building.

“Sasuke, are these people even related to you or Itachi?” Naruto stage-whispered to his boyfriend, biting back the smirk that almost lifted his lips. Sasuke was already pinching the bridge of his nose.

All of Naruto’s growing amusement instantly puttered out as he watched Inabi step out of one of the luxury cars, toss bills at a scantily clad waitress, and wipe his nose vigorously. Naruto froze, his instincts screeching at him to get them the hell out of this nightmare before his boyfriend got dragged into some backroom, underhanded madness. Naruto had partied—what twenty-something in Manhattan doesn’t? But as much as he had enjoyed his early twenties, he had also seen one too many people descend into a toxic lifestyle and the instinct to protect those he loved had always been particularly strong in Naruto.

As Inabi egged on the crowd and guzzled down a drink, another car pulled up. Itachi and Konan exited the vehicle and even with Itachi’s impressive poker-face, Naruto could easily see the antipathy in his eyes. Konan was easier to read—the resigned sigh she released was matched only by the aggravated glare she sent the people who came up to them. Naruto had never resonated with someone else’s expression so much—he was really starting to regret suggesting that Itachi and Sasuke attend this party.

“Inabi’s father is going to kill him when he finds out how much money he wasted on these parties,” Shisui sidled up to them, his expression as exasperated as Sasuke’s.

“Parties? I thought it was just the one for Itachi…” Naruto nodded in greeting to Shisui and leaned back on the car still idling behind him. He wasn’t exactly keen on leaving his boyfriend alone in this mess and Itachi was busy replying to Inabi’s ramblings with one-word quips (mostly deadpanned “no’s”).

“Oh no. He decided that the dear bride deserved one of his ‘sending-off’ parties as well and has arranged for a similar affair for Konan and several of his ‘family acquaintances’.” Shisui sighed and rubbed his temples, “Itachi asked me to attend her party to make sure Inabi hasn’t planned anything _too_ out-of-control.” Shisui did _not_ seem pleased by that…and Naruto really couldn’t blame him. If he had known his suggestion would cause all this fuss, he would have told his boyfriend to just corner Itachi sometime before the wedding. Naruto vaguely wondered if it was too late to fake food-poisoning or something to get them all out of it.

Konan caught Naruto’s eye and bee-lined to him, smiling apologetically to those around her. She looked way too annoyed to actually pull off the look, but she managed to escape the flock of partygoers crowding her.

“Naruto, I’m so glad to see you again. When I heard that you suggested Inabi throw us these _grand_ parties, I was so overjoyed. I _insist_ you attend mine.” Konan’s tone was so dry it rivaled the Sahara as she leveled the coldest smile Naruto had ever witnessed at him. Honestly, he really couldn’t blame her, so he smiled sheepishly and scratched his cheek as he mumbled an apology.

“He can’t. He’s busy.” Sasuke retorted, returning Konan’s glare.

“Actually, I’d love to come.” Naruto interrupted before Sasuke and his boyfriend’s future sister-in-law could shred each other with their eyes.

“What?” Sasuke turned his glare to Naruto—which didn’t affect him in the least—before pulling him away from Shisui and Konan. Naruto flinched a little at the thought of letting those two be alone for too long—the awkwardness was enough to make even Naruto, with his exceptionally high-tolerance for such things, profoundly nervous.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke demanded, his glare less irritated and more concerned. Naruto really couldn’t help the way his heart swelled in response.

“If I go to Konan’s party, maybe I’ll be able to figure out what’s going on. At the very least I’d be able to talk to Shisui alone for a bit.” Naruto wasn’t very good at being inconspicuous _—_ he stuck out like a blazing star wherever he went—but he’d always been good at getting people to open up to him. He liked Shisui and whatever was going on between him and Sasuke’s brother couldn’t be good for either of them.

“What about looking into your family?” Sasuke’s voice dropped in volume, his tone one of the softest Naruto had ever heard come from his beloved.

Naruto smiled tenderly in response, unable to keep his affection for his lover from his voice, “It’s waited this long, what’s a couple more days going to do? It’s not like the Namikaze surname is famous or anything. It can wait until we figure out what’s going on with your brother.” _It can wait until I’ve made sure you’re okay._ Naruto didn’t say those words aloud, but judging from the poignant look in Sasuke’s eyes, his boyfriend heard them, nonetheless.

“Besides,” Naruto continued, grinning at his boyfriend, “I’ve always thought I’d make a pretty damn good ninja, so this is right up my alley.”

Sasuke hastily tried to cover up his surprised laugh with a derisive snort, but Naruto was ardently aware of the bright spark of joy in his lover’s eyes—it lit an even brighter flame of elation in his own heart. “You would _literally_ be the worst ninja in the world.”

“Ah, but I’d still be better than you, _teme,”_ Naruto bumped his shoulder lightly against Sasuke’s and the way his boyfriend gently brushed his hand over his as they walked back to Konan and Shisui made Naruto melt all over again—his lover really was the epitome of _tsundere_ and it only made Naruto fall even deeper in love with the bastard.

“So, where exactly is this nightmare of a party we’re being forced to attend?” Naruto asked candidly, causing Shisui to snort out a laugh and Konan to politely hide a smirk behind her hand.

“Inabi has rented out a private island along the southern coast. We’ll be taking the Learjet while Itachi and Sasuke take the helicopters,” Konan sighed when she got called over by another guest and warned Naruto to be on the jet before take-off _or else._ Naruto knew she was joking but he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that she intimidated him a little (a lot).

When Inabi called Sasuke over, Naruto gently brushed his fingers along the small of his lover’s back and smiled ruefully at him. He wasn’t looking forward to being separated but he _really_ didn’t want to deal with Inabi anymore than he already had, so he waved after Sasuke as he left to join Itachi and followed Shisui to one of the bars. Shisui was pulled into a conversation with someone else and Naruto was too busy trying to get the bartender to understand that he didn’t want liquor—for Christ’s sake it wasn’t even noon yet—to notice Shisui’s absence.

Naruto finally got a bottle of water and opened it with an incredulous sigh when he heard the tinkle of a soft laugh next to him. He turned to look at the woman sitting across from him and paused when he saw a flash of pink. Naruto knew better than to stare, but the woman had the lightest strawberry-blonde hair he’d ever seen, so light it was actually a pastel rose-gold. She also had the most stunning turquoise blue eyes he’d ever seen on a human being and he chuckled when he realized that he would have been super into her when he’d been a high schooler. He’d always identified as bi-sexual, but Naruto had never really cared about labels like that—if he thought a person was beautiful, it didn’t hinge on their gender.

“And here I thought I’d be the only one sitting at the bar drinking water,” she smiled and tipped her own bottle at him. Naruto was lightened by the genuine amusement he saw in her eyes and laughed at her joke.

“I’m Naruto Namikaze,” he stuck out his hand and wasn’t the least bit surprised by the way her eyes widened as she lightly shook his hand. After the “family-get-together”, Naruto wouldn’t be surprised if the whole country knew who he was.

“Oh, _you’re_ Sasuke _-kun’s_ friend?” Her smile didn’t waver, but Naruto caught a tightness in her gaze, though he almost missed it when she tucked back her striking hair. “I’m Sakura Haruno. You’re an artist, right? And a professor at NYU?”

“Uh, yeah,” Naruto laughed and didn’t bother to correct her—in his mind, “friend” wasn’t really an insult. Had their lives been a little different, if they had never had the chance to be together romantically, Naruto was certain that at the very least he would always be Sasuke’s friend. “What do you do?” He didn’t ask just to be polite—he was genuinely curious what she did and how she related to Sasuke or Itachi. She seemed around the same age as them and aside from knowing his entire life-story, she hadn’t said anything rude so far.

“Oh, I’m a lawyer. General counsel for the Uchiha family corporations.” She shrugged and took another sip of her water. From anyone else, it would have seemed like bragging, but Sakura really didn’t seem all that smug to be in a position that sounded pretty impressive—at least to Naruto’s inexperienced ear. He didn’t know the first thing about the legal field, but he knew it was a coveted and influential career.

“That’s really impressive,” he responded, smiling broadly at her.

She laughed and waved a hand in front of her face, a slight blush gracing her cheeks, “No, no. It’s really just good old-fashioned nepotism. I grew up with Sasuke-kun—we’re old family friends and have quite a bit of history together. It’s really nice to meet you, Naruto.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Before they could talk further, a loud cacophony of noise broke out and Naruto had to stop himself from spitting out his drink. Inabi had rolled out a _literal_ red carpet to the choppers. Or rather, he had arranged to have a red carpet rolled out; Naruto couldn’t picture Inabi raising so much as a finger for a task that far beneath him.

Sakura laughed again and rolled her eyes, “Inabi really has gone to such outrageous lengths for these parties. I don’t even want to imagine what, or _who,_ he has prepared for the ‘entertainment’.” Naruto laughed both because Sakura was genuinely funny but also at the thought of Sasuke surrounded by bachelor-party staples: female strippers. Naruto had been in relationships with both men and women and really didn’t have a preference (though he couldn’t imagine being with anyone besides Sasuke anymore), but he knew for a fact that his boyfriend had only ever been interested in men. It had never bothered Naruto in the slightest, so it was kind of absurdly hilarious that his boyfriend would probably be declining lap dances all night.

“Poor bastard,” Naruto chuckled again and shook his head.

“Oh, I’m sure Sasuke- _kun_ will have a great time. Inabi’s parties are always memorable.” Sakura sounded so certain that Naruto almost wanted to let her in on the karmic joke, but he thought better of it when Shisui came up to him and told him that they could board the jet now. Shisui sighed and led Naruto into one of the private suites in the cabin—even after being surrounded by so much luxury, Naruto couldn’t stop from gaping at everything. The couches and seats were even plushier than the ritzy flight he and Sasuke had enjoyed to Haneda and there were no less than four large, high-quality screens in their suite. _Why the hell would they need all this for a flight that would in all likelihood take less than an hour?_ Naruto rolled his eyes again and settled into the seat next to Shisui, who looked bored and weary as he tiredly rubbed his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Naruto knew it was a dumb question, but figured he ask anyway. ~~~~

Shisui gave him a lopsided smile, “No offense, but you really are more perceptive than I thought you’d be.”

Naruto just grinned, “Yeah well, I tend to pay more attention to things that could have an effect on my boyfriend.”

“He’s furious with me, isn’t he?” Shisui sighed again, running his fingers through his messy hair.

“He’ll never admit it out loud, but he’s worried. I don’t think he’s ever been worried about Itachi like this.” Naruto hated seeing his boyfriend like this—hated that he knew how helpless Sasuke had to be feeling.

“I wish I could ease his concern…but the truth is I’m worried too,” Shisui lowered his voice and he suddenly looked infinitely more tired than he had before. Naruto knew both he and Itachi had excellent poker-faces, but he hadn’t realized just how much they had been hiding behind their smiles.

“What’s going on Shisui?” Naruto didn’t do _subtle._ Not well, at least.

“That’s the problem—I don’t know. All I know is that Itachi is shutting me out more than he ever has before,” the pain in Shisui’s voice was so obvious it hurt Naruto to hear it, “and he’s taken on a burden that he refuses to tell me about. I’ve never felt so useless.”

Naruto put his hand on Shisui’s shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze, “Whatever he’s doing, it can’t possibly be that bad…”

Shisui gave him a harsh look, his gaze far colder than Naruto had seen it thus far, “There are depths to our world that I hope you never have to see, Naruto. Building a family legacy, becoming a worldwide power, doesn’t come without cost. There are shadows behind every move we have to make to maintain our position in the world. I just hope that Itachi isn’t trying to take on all that darkness by himself…” Naruto floundered. Shisui’s words made him realize that he had no idea how this world—the world of the most powerful businesses and organizations—functioned. Honestly it hadn’t even crossed his mind that they might exist in a different reality than Naruto knew—faced different circumstances that Naruto never had and probably never would. He had always detested the seedy side of power and influence and had always stuck to his own ethical code and morals, but he also hadn’t been born with any sort of money or power. Watching Shisui grapple with the situation suddenly made him keenly aware of the fact that he would have no idea what to do in Shisui’s shoes. It wasn’t just the miles that were stretching between him and Sasuke as the jet flew towards the private island; Naruto had never felt so far from his beloved, had never fully realized that they had come from two entirely different worlds.

As Sasuke walked up to his elder brother, he was suddenly flung down memory lane. It had been a _very_ long time since he had been in this kind of atmosphere, and he was vividly reminded why he had detested it so much, even during his youth. He’d gotten his MBA before he’d even turned twenty-one and left for New York shortly after, but watching Inabi take another snort of whatever the fuck he was indulging in nowadays forcefully reminded Sasuke of the party his distant cousin had thrown him for his twentieth birthday—technically the legal drinking age in Japan.

Truthfully, Sasuke hadn’t even known there _was_ a legal drinking age in Japan until Inabi used it as an excuse to drag him to a party. He honestly couldn’t even remember when he’d had his first drink—his family’s influence in the business sector meant that Sasuke had learned to keep up with the _nomikais_ early on in life. One of the biggest transitions Sasuke had dealt with when moving to New York was coming to terms with the strict legalities around underaged drinking; he’d grown up able to procure any substance he wanted since he’d been old enough to know how to pronounce them. Hell, he’d had his first cigarette before he turned fifteen and had never had any issues buying his own smokes. The first week he had been in New York, he’d been ID’d more times than he had in his entire life.

“I’ll admit, _otouto,_ I didn’t think you’d be so angry at me that you’d force us to endure something like this,” Itachi said quietly as they watched Inabi and his posse pop open bottles of _Dom Perignon_ for no reason other than to shower the half-naked waitresses.

“Consider it just punishment for trying to keep whatever you’re planning from me,” Sasuke retorted as he glared at the waitress who provocatively brushed her hand over his crossed arms. She immediately retreated and moved to serve the other guests.

As Sasuke followed Itachi and Inabi over the ridiculous red carpet and onto the helicopter, he began to wonder if he’d maybe bitten off more than he could chew. The thought was reinforced when Inabi began addressing everyone in the cockpit with wide, grand gestures. Sasuke didn’t even have to look too hard to notice how dilated Inabi’s pupils were.

“Any asshole can throw a normal stag party. Hookers, drugs, dogfighting—that’s all minor-league shit. To plan a party this massive, takes a goddamn mastermind.” The useless “friends” who Inabi constantly surrounded himself with hollered and whooped in delight.

“Where _exactly_ is this party, Inabi?” Sasuke didn’t even bother to keep the judgement out of his tone—he was starting to understand the old proverb “you can’t fix stupid” on a whole new level.

Sasuke’s distant cousin smirked, “International waters.”

 _Fuck._ Sasuke realized he’d been wrong about his cousin. Inabi _had_ changed in the time that Sasuke had been gone—he’d managed to ascend to a new plane of absurdity. He pointedly ignored the glare from Itachi that was slowly burning a hole through his head as he settled into the plush leather seats and scrolled through his work emails. He sent two short texts to Karin and Suigetsu to warn them that he’d be completely out of reach for the next day or so. Never in his life would he admit to being grateful to Karin for pulling him from his bed so early in the morning, but because of her he’d managed to deal with the problems that had cropped up. Hopefully, his underlings could handle whatever came up while he’d be off drowning in Inabi’s idiocy.

He gazed out the window and fervently hoped Naruto would have an easier time than he would. Recalling the way his lover had so casually shelved his desire to learn about his family made Sasuke’s chest tighten and his shoulders lose a bit of the stiffness that had crept back in. He held back the sigh that wanted to escape his lips and instead returned his focus to his emails and carefully avoiding his older brother’s glare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, you know how I feel about comments ❤️  
> Sorry this chap is a little short compared to the others ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ; I didn't have anything else to add without going into my outline for the next chapter  
> Feel free to message me on my social media :) links should be below


	8. *Special Chapter--FAN ART!!!*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until I had the next chapter ready but I **just cannot wait**!!!
> 
> Everyone, LOOK AT THIS AMAZING ART!
> 
> OMG guys, I have been blessed by the _glorious, magnificent,_ **unbelievably talented** artist [shincendiary(Tumblr)](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)/[shinomu(AO3)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinomu/pseuds/shinomu) with these images of Naruto arriving at the Uchiha family party. I'm still crying over these works of art as I type this. Please go give this amazing artist all the love she deserves!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working on chapter ~~eight~~ nine now, but I just _had_ to share these amazing pieces 😭  
> (as a side note, all future chapters have been moved up by one, so the next chapter is now chapter nine, just for simplicity's sake)
> 
> They are also embedded in **chapter four** where these scenes take place!

[](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

[](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

[](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please, _please_ go give the amazing, brilliant, **stunningly talented**[shincendiary(Tumblr)](https://shincendiary.tumblr.com)/[shinomu(AO3)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinomu/pseuds/shinomu) all the love she deserves!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️


	9. [chasing two hares loses both]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi has a flashback (more Shisui angst <,<);  
> Inabi proves that he is the most disgusting human on the planet;  
> Sasuke and Itachi...talk (there's a lot of angst...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Disclaimers—PLEASE READ!  
>  -This chapter includes inflammatory language and derogatory terms, as well as homophobic slurs; there are explicit homophobic interactions and implied homophobia; please be aware while you are reading that the opinions and statements of certain characters do not reflect any of my personal feelings. There are interactions in this chapter that hurt me to write but occur in our society on a daily basis.  
> -Please also be aware that this piece is a work of fiction and DOES NOT accurately reflect any one race or culture—I have done my best to research Japanese culture but understand that I have taken liberties to create a fictional story. I understand that these scenes will incite conversations and it is my hope as an author to create a space where these interactions can be discussed, but I do maintain my right to moderate comments on this work and will make use of that right as needed.**
> 
> References:  
> -Just…pick any one of [these](https://robbreport.com/motors/marine/largest-yachts-2837827/) yachts to use as a mental image for the party
> 
> Extra notes:  
> -Special thank you to [@haikyuutrash13](https://twitter.com/haikyuutrash13) for talking through some of these scenes with me!  
> -and finally, I cannot express how eternally grateful I am for [spadebrigade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spadebrigade/pseuds/spadebrigade) looking over this chapter and editing this ❤️ I really am so humbled by your amazing help and if I could send you cookies, I would ❤️

__

_二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず。 (ni usagi wo ou mono wa ichi usagi wo mo ezu) [chasing two hares loses both]—trying to do two things at once will make you fail at both_

**[Flashback from shortly after Naruto and Sasuke left the Uchiha family party]**

Five minutes. Five whole minutes. It had taken Sasuke all of five minutes to escape the family party after their mother retired for the evening. If Itachi wasn’t so vexed, he’d be impressed by his little brother’s escape.

Itachi had been outplayed before, but never by someone who hadn’t even intended to participate. He knew Naruto had only meant to give Sasuke time to speak with him, but he had _not_ expected to get roped into Inabi’s frivolity. Something was bothering him, beyond the obvious; his head was pounding from a vicious headache and the absolute _last_ thing he had wanted to hear was Naruto suggesting he and Sasuke attend whatever Inabi had planned. There were so many nuances he had had to deal with tonight, so many subtle machinations as the ebb and flow of power shifted in their family.

Itachi was tired. Yet he couldn’t _afford_ to be tired. So, he rubbed his forehead and continued to focus on what exactly Naruto had said or done that had nudged at his memory, but the only thing he could think about was the fact that he’d have to do even more maneuvering at this party Inabi had planned. Inabi had always been an unpredictable thorn in his side, so he’d tactfully avoided dealing with his cousin’s descent into stupidity. That is, until now.

“Do you want to explain to me why Inabi just _insisted_ that I attend a party he has planned for me?” Konan stepped into the small room he’d escaped to in a futile attempt to catch a moment of peace and quiet. He sighed and slipped his unreadable mask back on—Konan was far too dangerous of a woman to be allowed to see just how exhausted he was. Fatigue had led to the downfall of many men, but Itachi was far too determined to let weariness ruin everything he had worked for.

“I assumed you would be capable enough to wiggle your way out of my cousin’s stupidity,” he met those bright amber eyes and tried to get a read on his “fiancée” but all he saw was a fiery determination and a force of will that rivaled his own.

Konan sighed and shook her head before crossing her arms and leaning on the back of the couch he had been sitting on. Itachi did not appreciate having to look up at her, but Konan had yet to use any subtle power moves against him. Rather, she had upheld her part of their bargain thoroughly enough that Itachi was concerned he was being played so well he couldn’t even see it.

“Send Shisui to my party.” Konan leveled her gaze with his and Itachi was taken aback at the apparent non sequitur. There was no way in hell he would send Shisui off to attend one of Inabi’s parties with the woman who carried more shadows behind her than anyone he’d ever dealt with before, so why would she even suggest it? The headache he had been fighting all evening stabbed through his temples as he tried to figure out what possible reason Konan could have for suggesting the stupidest thing he could have ever imagined.

She sighed again and shook her head in exasperation—clearly his mask was slipping because she rolled her eyes at the look on his face. “Itachi, we both know that if you and Shisui are left alone for too long, then he will figure out _exactly_ what we’re doing and why. We’re too close to achieving our goal to risk his involvement now. If Danzo catches on, we might lose everything we’ve put into place.” His emotions were truly out of control because he could _not_ stop his hand from clenching into a fist next to his thigh at the thought of Danzo daring to target Shisui, at the thought of his closest friend becoming more fodder in Danzo’s path to power.

“You don’t have to trust me. It would be foolish to even think of placing such blind faith in me, but you _can_ place your trust in the fact that we both want the same thing.” The sheer fire in her gaze had been what prompted him to consider their deal in the first place _;_ looking into those amber eyes alight with fury and determination, he was once again reminded why he had dared to believe her.

“And yet you still haven’t made it clear exactly _why_ you are so hellbent on destroying the man you spent almost a decade convincing to trust you.” He leaned back and forced the tension from his body, crossing his legs as he stared up at Konan.

“And you continue to lie to yourself about the reason you’re doing all of this. We both have our secrets Itachi, but I will tell you this much: I’ve believed in fate since the moment I lost the man I loved most in this world. The fact that Naruto and Sasuke have found each other…well, suffice to say that I think fate has come to reckon with the Uchiha family. There is more to Naruto than you know…and I hope that, for his sake, his history never comes to light.” Itachi froze, Konan’s words ringing through his head like the sharpest of bells, “but rest assured, Itachi—I made a promise to protect that boy, and I will never break another promise again. Whether you like it or not, he _will_ be attending this absurd party, and I will continue to do what I can to protect him. For your sake, I suggest you listen to me and send Shisui as well.”

“What possible connection could you have to my little brother’s boyfriend?” Itachi was spiraling, his thoughts flying too quickly through his head to even form a coherent idea. He had thoroughly investigated Naruto— _of course_ he had. Sasuke was the most important person in his life; he would never let his little brother fall in love with someone dangerous. There was nothing in Naruto’s past that connected him to their family, or anything related to their family. The truth of the matter was that there had simply _been nothing_ in Naruto’s past. For all of Itachi’s digging, he’d come up empty. His heart stuttered in fear that he’d screwed up—that his ineptitude would lead to his little brother’s heart getting crushed by the only person who had broken through the shields Sasuke had put up when he’d only been a child.

“Like I said, for Naruto’s sake, I hope his past stays buried. You need to make a choice, Itachi—trust me to keep my word, or don’t. I know what it’s like to lose the most important person in your life. Even if you won’t admit it to yourself, I know that if you lose him— _either_ of them—there will be nothing left in your heart worth saving.” Even as out-of-control as he was, he knew to hide his trembling hands behind his thighs, to shift his gaze to avoid Konan seeing the panic that was making his heart beat faster. Itachi focused on keeping his breaths even but it was a losing battle; he gave in to the urge to glare at Konan but the sorrow in her gaze kept him in check.

Those eyes he had scrutinized and analyzed so many times were now filled with agony, a pain that Itachi _did not_ want to understand, an anguish so deep it hurt to see. Within a blink, it was gone, hidden under the fire she wore so openly. She stood and briefly touched the origami rose she had pinned in her hair. Itachi tensed as he felt the whisper of understanding slip away from him—snapshots of that rose kept replaying through his head but all he could think about was that he’d screwed up, that he’d be the reason Shisui and Sasuke lost everything important to them. He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control as Konan slipped back out of the room. The door clicked shut and the sound ricocheted through his head like a bullet.

Itachi forced his breaths to even out through sheer force of will and calmed his racing heart. This didn’t change anything. Konan was right—if Shisui cornered him, everything they’d accomplished until now would be for naught. He had no choice but to ask his best friend…the man he didn’t dare admit he loved, to attend the party of his fiancée. He shook his head at the absurdity of it all as he sent off several texts to have his most trusted private investigators look more thoroughly into Naruto’s past. There was nothing he could do without more information, and he wasn’t going to get any more from Konan.

Itachi took another deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it and leaving the room to search for Shisui. The pang in his heart over what he was about to ask his best friend to do only added to the weight on his chest, but he had long ago forsaken his own feelings. If this was the price required to keep Shisui safe, then so be it.

If only the pain in his heart wasn’t reflected by the pounding in his temples. His headache was only worsened by the memory of that text he’d seen earlier—the same text that had left him feeling unsteady all night.

_The bed feels empty without you._

“Shisui,” those damn words kept replaying in Itachi’s head as he called out to his friend.

“Itachi, I was just looking for you,” he ignored the way his heart clenched at his friend’s reply—ignored the way his mind kept replaying that text that _should not_ have bothered him so much.

“Why is Inabi yelling at anyone who will sit still long enough to listen about some party he has planned?” For all of Shisui’s playfulness, he had always detested the way Inabi acted—their mutual dislike of Itachi’s distant cousin had been a source of amusement for years. Itachi almost laughed at the irony that something they had found amusing would soon pull them further apart.

_The bed feels empty without you._

That headache that had splintered his thoughts earlier was hammering with even more viciousness than before.

“It’s actually two parties, apparently…” Itachi sighed and could not stop his mask from slipping a bit. He’d never had to hide anything from Shisui before and keeping up the charade was too much for him at the moment. He just wanted a single moment of peace and quiet with his dearest friend.

“Itachi…” Shisui smiled and sighed, an exasperated look in those mesmerizing eyes, “a worried expression really doesn’t look good on you.” Itachi flinched when Shisui placed his hands on his shoulders and grinned, so close that Itachi felt like he was drowning in those obsidian eyes.

“I need you to go to Konan’s party and make sure Inabi doesn’t have anything too out of hand prepared for her,” Itachi all but blurted, flinching back from Shisui’s casual touches as if they burned. He refused to acknowledge the way his shoulders tingled from the touch.

_The bed feels empty without you._

Shisui leaned back and his beautiful smile dropped, “Itachi…”

Itachi glanced away as Shisui ran his fingers through his messy hair. The fact that he could still easily picture the cursory habit only made him feel worse.

“You really feel as if you need to lie to me…” Itachi’s breath caught at the pained look in Shisui’s gaze, but he sealed his lips and refused to reply.

“You’ve always been so good at fooling yourself,” Shisui muttered as he sighed again, “that’s why you never acknowledge your own feelings…”

_The bed feels empty without you._

Itachi bit the inside of his lip so hard he tasted blood and he felt his nails digging into his palm. Not good enough—he wasn’t good enough at fooling himself to keep his heart from clenching, to keep his eyes from pricking at that _goddamn_ text he couldn’t get out of his head. He wasn’t good enough at lying to himself to make himself believe that the way his gaze blurred was because of his headache. He wasn’t good enough at fooling himself to stop the way that text wreaked havoc on his heart. He simply _wasn’t good enough._

“Itachi…” Those obsidian eyes bore into him and he felt like crumbling. He covered his gaze by rubbing at his temples, desperately trying to ease the ache that was splitting his head in two.

“Please, Shisui…” Itachi knew that was all it would take; knew that if he asked, Shisui would do anything. He _hated_ himself for using his friend’s kindness in such a way. _Hated_ the way a part of him so desperately wanted to ask for something else. The same part of him that could not stop seeing that text.

“Okay…” Shisui’s voice was quiet, exhausted. It made Itachi hate himself even more, though he had long since thought that impossible. “I’ll go to Konan’s party if that’s what you want from me, Itachi.”

He mumbled a thank you and darted away before Shisui caught the look he knew was on his face. The way his eyes burned was indicator enough that he had well and truly lost control of himself. He slipped into another small room and released the quiet, wet, _bitter_ laugh that poured out of his lips. It wasn’t a sob—he refused to release anything close to a sound like that. After all, what right did he have?

 _“‘What you want from me…’”_ He repeated those words in an almost silent whisper to himself and couldn’t stop the irony from stealing another bitter laugh from him. How dare he? How dare he feel such pain at those words. How dare he for a moment want to scream that what he wanted from Shisui was something else entirely.

Itachi slowed his breaths and focused on getting himself back under control. The night wasn’t over yet and he had several more fires to put out. So, he shoved all those thoughts to the back of his mind, buried those emotions into the depths of his heart, and straightened his spine as he stepped back out into the party. The weight of the knowledge that he’d have to endure even more machinations at Inabi’s party was almost enough to break his stride, but he ignored it and pushed on. He’d chosen this path. It was his burden to bear, and he wouldn’t— _couldn’t_ —fail.

* * *

_How in the actual fuck did Inabi get his hands on a Lürssen yacht?_ Itachi had thought himself incapable of being surprised any more by the lengths to which Inabi had gone for this outrageous party, but as their helicopter descended neatly onto the small landing pad on the yacht that was the biggest he’d ever seen, he found that he had been wrong. Inabi really had outdone himself this time. His dread increased proportionately with his surprise.

Itachi suppressed his groan as several attendants rolled out _yet another_ red carpet, and his suspicions spiked—he was relatively certain that this specific Lürssen yacht was currently owned by a royal family in the middle east, and how Inabi had managed to charm a royal line famous for their reclusiveness into lending him their yacht was perhaps the most curious mystery currently occupying his mind. Which was impressive given how many clandestine machinations he was involved in every single day. As Itachi took inventory of the various people—a ridiculous amount of “professional partygoers” swarmed them the second they landed—he rapidly started rethinking Inabi’s political and corporate worth. Amongst the crowd were both discrete prostitutes and overt strippers, but those indulging in the “party favors” ranged from minor to major worldwide celebrities, corporate moguls, and the heirs of critical familial conglomerates—some of which had specific and important ties to the Uchiha family companies.

Itachi watched as some of the most influential and powerful individuals in the corporate world indulged in various vices—some legal and some very much not. The magic of international waters had brought out the very worst in some people, and as Itachi watched Sasuke get dragged into the party, he made endless mental notes for later use. As much as his little brother hated being dragged into these sorts of things, he’d yet to develop the means to escape them.

Sasuke’s glares were often incredibly harsh, yet those who fawned over him refused to comply with his demand to be left alone. At any other given time, Itachi would find the scene of his little brother scowling at strippers extraordinarily hilarious, but the whispers around him had him on edge. Within the span of a few minutes, Itachi had already caught the way some in attendance looked at Sasuke; the words _“gay”, “with another man”,_ and similar oblique insults had him seeing red. His thoughts and various worries flowed away as his entire focus cleared to a terrifying calm fueled by his icy fury. Those who dared to insult his _otouto_ would soon regret it.

Itachi had rebelled so vigorously when he’d first witnessed Madara and Fugaku use blackmail to achieve their goals, and yet here he was, gathering it like pieces on a chess board. How far he had fallen—how weak had his conscience become. Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to be bothered by it; he’d use every advantage he had to keep his family safe—to keep _Sasuke_ safe. The fools who insulted Sasuke behind his back were also stupid enough to partake in Inabi’s frivolous nonsense and Itachi would use that stupidity to teach them what the consequences were for speaking without any forethought.

A small sigh left his lips. The first, he was sure, of many to come before he’d be able to escape from this den of iniquity. He was already tired, but his wrath was doing an excellent job of keeping his mind and senses sharp. Itachi just hoped he’d be able to keep Sasuke from ripping anyone to literal shreds.

Sasuke was two seconds away from decking his cousin. Naruto had intended to give him some time to speak with Itachi privately, but so far, his brother had managed to escape from the insanity, whereas Sasuke literally had to pay the strippers to leave him alone. When the sixth one came up to him and sat in his lap, he actually shoved a hundred dollar bill into the bikini top that barely covered the expensive breast implants she’d had done and told her that if she kept all the others away for the remainder of the party, he’d pay her a hell of a lot more.

What made it all worse was the sense of…awkwardness. There was a strange tension pervading the atmosphere that he couldn’t quite identify. Sasuke had _always_ been fawned over and gawked at, but this was… _different._ He’d caught several people glancing at him and whispering behind open hands, yet he hadn’t quite been able to figure out about what. Truthfully, he didn’t really give a fuck, but their gazes were getting on his nerves, and the already-short fuse on his temper was rapidly dwindling.

The fuse burned out entirely when he heard one of the partygoers giggling as she called him gay.

He’d forgotten.

Or rather, he’d intentionally blocked out the memories of how he’d been forced into the closet for most of his adolescence. He’d spent years tactfully avoiding the conversations about his sexuality. Not out of fear, but because it had been expected of him. The absolute fury on Fugaku’s face when the subject had been brought up when Sasuke was sixteen was still ingrained on his retinas. His eidetic memory was so useful, yet he would gladly be rid of it if it meant forgetting the way his father had looked at him.

He downed the rest of his drink, reveling in the way it burned and blurred the faces around him. Every time he looked at a cigarette, all he saw was Naruto’s disappointed gaze, so he found himself reaching for the seemingly endless supply of expensive whiskey. Sasuke’s tolerance for alcohol had always been above average—drinking as early as fourteen will do that to a person—but his remarkable ability to hold his liquor was waning after the sixth glass in less than an hour. He declined the various drugs being passed around like common party favors; he enjoyed liquor and cigarettes but anything that had the ability to permanently fuck with his brain chemistry held no interest for him.

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes as he watched Inabi boorishly paw at the women surrounding him, each more eager than the last, especially as his cousin continued to shower them with hundred-dollar bills. He glanced around in search of Itachi and found him having a quiet, intense conversation with another man. Because of his inebriated stupor, it took Sasuke a moment to recognize the man; he froze when he realized it was one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Japan. Sasuke watched as Itachi and the tech mogul seemed to agree on something and exchange phone numbers; he wasn’t surprised in the least that his older brother was using his own bachelor party to build business connections. He wondered briefly if he’d be able to act sober enough to hold an intelligent conversation about his own businesses. Since the room spun when he got up, he figured not. Sasuke sighed again and took another swig of his drink—since he was already useless business-wise, he might as well enjoy getting drunk. At least if he focused on drinking, he’d be able to ignore Inabi’s glares.

“I go through the hassle of setting all this up, and you pay the entertainment to keep their hands _off you?_ Your ingratitude is starting to show, Sasuke- _chan._ ” Inabi pushed off the woman currently occupying his lap and moved to sit across from Sasuke.

“I’m not interested in paying someone to warm my bed. Nor do I need to.” Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke knew he shouldn’t antagonize his cousin, not after witnessing the moron snort half his body weight in whatever the fuck his new drug of choice was, but he simply couldn’t stop himself.

His hackles rose when Inabi started laughing, “Oh, right. I almost forgot about your little… _artist.”_ Sasuke had to force himself to loosen the grip he had on his tumbler of whiskey—any tighter and he might actually shatter the expensive crystal.

“You’re right though, it’s not like you have to impress _Naruto—_ he’s just lucky to be here.”

The buzz of the alcohol only incited his fury further, but before he could respond, Inabi continued. “When I heard you were fucking another guy, I absolutely could _not_ believe it—the golden Uchiha heir chasing after the pretty little rainbow. How absurd!” Sasuke seethed; he was about to throw his drink down and dig his knuckles into Inabi’s face, but his cousin wasn’t done yet.

“But when I saw him, I kind of understood; where did you find your sexy little fag, Sasuke? Maybe I should have ordered some for the party—”

The crash of the glass shattering was the only thing Sasuke heard as he lunged for Inabi. However, before his fist could connect with Inabi’s nose, he was pulled away by a strong grip. It took several seconds for Sasuke to realize that the voice hissing in his ear to stop was Itachi’s.

“ _Enough,_ Sasuke. It’s not worth it.” Sasuke pushed Itachi away, but the alcohol was affecting his balance. He swayed and stumbled before Itachi grabbed his elbow and pulled him away from Inabi, who was flat on his ass after having jerked back in fear. Sasuke wanted nothing more than to kick his cousin’s wide eyes into the back of his skull. Unfortunately, Itachi’s grip was even stronger than Sasuke remembered and his older brother managed to drag him away before he could restructure his cousin’s face.

“Let me go!” Sasuke tried to snatch his arm out of Itachi’s grip, but he was forcefully reminded of how physically strong his brother was. Itachi continued to drag him away and Sasuke could do nothing but follow along like some kind of disobedient puppy. Sasuke thought his fury couldn’t increase any further, but he had been wrong. As Itachi man-handled him into a private area below deck, Sasuke was reminded that the entire reason he’d had to come back to Japan—the entire reason he’d had to endure this _bullshit_ —was because of Itachi; because his brother was getting _married_ to a woman he had absolutely no business marrying and refused to explain what the hell he was trying to accomplish.

As Itachi pulled him onto one of the luxury speedboats anchored below deck, the last bit of Sasuke’s patience for his brother ran out.

“What the fuck are you _doing!?”_ Sasuke wanted to grab Itachi and physically shake answers out of him, but his older brother simply pushed him into one of the leather couches and started up the cruiser. By the time everything around him stopped spinning, Itachi had already disembarked from the yacht and was moving out into open waters.

“I didn’t ask for your help!” Sasuke moved to grab Itachi, but his brother jerked the wheel and Sasuke was flung back onto the couch. He released a wordless scream and took several deep breaths to combat the nausea that was rapidly building in his stomach.

By the time he opened his eyes again, they were already in the middle of nowhere, far from wherever Inabi’s yacht had been. Itachi killed the engine and handed him a bottle of water from the cooler. Sasuke wanted to ignore his brother out of spite, but his stomach rolled again, and he snatched away the bottle before he’d even really consciously made the decision to.

“I should have been more careful. I didn’t think you’d let Inabi’s stupidity get to you,” Itachi murmured as he sat on the couch opposite him.

“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Inabi, but if he _ever_ calls Naruto that again, I’ll make sure he loses the ability to speak entirely.” Even just thinking about the way his cousin had dared to insult his boyfriend had Sasuke shaking with fury all over again.

“What exactly did he say?” Itachi’s gaze frosted over and Sasuke realized that his brother hadn’t heard their conversation—he’d simply reacted when Sasuke moved to assault their cousin.

“His opinions don’t fucking matter—what matters is the fact that the whole reason I’m stuck dealing with this absurd _bullshit_ is because you decided to marry _Konan!”_

Itachi’s gaze sharpened and he released an irritated breath before looking away. Whatever calm Sasuke had managed to gather during their abrupt escape completely evaporated. How _dare_ he; how dare Itachi make him endure all of this without so much as an explanation. Sasuke’s fury ignited again, but it wasn’t an explosion of rage this time; it was the cold, razor-sharp wrath he’d only experienced a few times in his life—when everything came into sharper focus and all of his thoughts were honed into vicious precision.

“ _Enough._ I have had enough of the games, Itachi.” His voice was no longer quivering with rage. No, it had lowered down to a cold, dark pitch. “I’m done trying to extract information from you. Keep your secrets, Itachi. I don’t care anymore. I should never have come back.”

Itachi paused, his lips pursing, “What do you mean, _exactly_ , Sasuke?”

“Do you not understand English anymore, _nii-san?_ Should I repeat myself in Japanese?” Sasuke scorned, his lips pulling into a vicious mockery of a smile. “I mean exactly what I said. _I’m done—_ with you, with this farce, with our absurd family.”

“Sasuke, if you walk away from us—from the Uchiha family—you will _never_ be allowed back. Madara favors you, but your temper is _nothing_ compared to his.”

“ _I don’t care._ What exactly about that do you not understand? I don’t _need_ any of this—”

“So, you’re running away? Leaving all of this behind because you lack the guts to withstand the ridicule? I didn’t think you’d become such a coward, _otouto.”_ Sasuke had heard Itachi call him _“otouto”_ many different ways—jokingly, lovingly, harshly, and even morosely, but he’d never heard _this._ Itachi had never said it so furiously; he’d never looked at Sasuke with such vicious anger. Sasuke wondered for a moment if he’d pushed his older brother too far, but he ignored the way his heart clenched at the look in Itachi’s eyes, ignored the way his eyes pricked in favor of stoking the violent flames of anger within his heart.

“You don’t get to call me a coward when you’ve been running away from how you feel about Shisui for _years._ ” He knew he shouldn’t have said it; he knew he didn’t have the right to judge his brother for a relationship he wouldn’t have even noticed without Naruto’s input, but his mouth would not stop moving. “All this time, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what Konan has that’s so important to you but maybe I’ve just been overthinking everything. Maybe she was the only one who would agree to be your _beard—_ the only one who’d agree to be in a loveless, sexless marriage with a man who’s in love with his best friend but refuses to admit it.” _Stop!_ He wanted to stop, he didn’t mean any of the words flying out of his mouth like daggers, but it was like a dam bursting open; all the pain and anger and frustration that had been building since the moment he’d heard about Itachi’s wedding filled to the point of overflowing, and he lost himself in the tide.

He knew he’d gone too far when Itachi flinched and gasped, so quietly that Sasuke wouldn’t have noticed it if he didn’t see the way his older brother’s eyes clouded over. Sasuke opened his mouth—to apologize or take it back or _anything_ to get rid of the pain in Itachi’s gaze, but his brother’s expression shuttered so fast he barely caught the change.

“You don’t know anything.” Itachi voice was as calm and collected as it always was, but Sasuke _knew_ he’d gone too far—could feel the anguish in the tight smile his brother gave him, “You’re untouchable, Sasuke. I’ve made sure of that. But Naruto is not. I am doing everything I can to protect him, but even I can only do so much.”

Sasuke couldn’t breathe, the weight of his brother’s gaze sitting atop his chest like the heaviest of burdens.

“Even if you run away, leave all of this behind, you know as well as I that there is nowhere on this earth that the Uchiha’s power doesn’t reach—that _Madara’s_ influence doesn’t reach. You’ve felt it in that safe haven I helped you create in New York, and that is with our uncle’s favor; his ire is not something you can fathom, Sasuke. If you force Naruto to take on this burden, his every day will be a struggle. Is he ready for that?” Each word Itachi spoke pierced through him like a blade, scattering his emotions like a leaves in a storm.

“Have you even told him what could happen? How so very easily he could lose everything he has worked to accomplish?” Sasuke’s breaths sped up, his heart roaring in his ears. He knew he didn’t need to answer his brother. Itachi already knew.

“You haven’t…because you’re afraid that he won’t think you’re worth it.” Itachi stood and quietly pulled another bottle of water from the cooler, sipping at the drink as if he hadn’t just thrown every last one of Sasuke’s fears into his face. Sasuke could do nothing but stare at his older brother, his heart thundering in his chest.

“Don’t speak to me of fear, Sasuke.” Itachi’s voice was so quiet, he barely heard it as his brother started the motor again and took up the helm. “I’m doing what I can to protect you, but even I’m not invincible. Just as Naruto is the chink in your armor, you are the chink in mine.”

The only sounds around them were the quiet whir of the motor, the waves lapping at the sides of the boat, and the silence between them that was more deafening than anything else. The nausea he’d overcome earlier returned with a vengeance and Sasuke downed the rest of his water, ignoring the way his shaking hands spilled some. The only thing he could process was the fact that Naruto had been right—the party _had_ given him a chance to speak with Itachi privately. He just hadn’t been ready to hear what his older brother had to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of these scenes were awful to read--they were awful for me to write, but I appreciate comments and feedback so please let me know what you think down below. I also want to remind everyone that this fic is Angst with a Happy Ending, so I promise there are brighter scenes ahead! We just have to get through this :(
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. [thunder on a clear day]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto arrives at Konan's bachelorette party;  
> Naruto has too much time to think (lots of angst >.>);  
> Sakura...says some horrible things (so much angst D:);  
> Naruto reaches his limit;  
> Shisui has a flashback (even more angst).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the time it took to get this out =/ I'm determined to finish this series though, so please just bear with me! I also updated the tags to reflect the homophobic themes in this story but I will continue to leave warnings and disclaimers in the notes preceding each chapter.
> 
> On that note:  
>  **Disclaimers—PLEASE READ!  
>  -This chapter includes inflammatory language and derogatory terms, as well as homophobic slurs; there are explicit homophobic interactions and implied homophobia; please be aware while you are reading that the opinions and statements of certain characters do not reflect any of my personal feelings. There are interactions in this chapter that hurt me to write but occur in our society on a daily basis.  
> -Please also be aware that this piece is a work of fiction and DOES NOT accurately reflect any one race or culture—I have done my best to research Japanese culture but understand that I have taken liberties to create a fictional story. I understand that these scenes will incite conversations and it is my hope as an author to create a space where these interactions can be discussed, but I do maintain my right to moderate comments on this work and will make use of that right as needed.**
> 
> References:  
> -you can use [this article](https://www.forbes.com/sites/meggentaylor/2016/08/31/little-palm-island-the-ultimate-private-island-destination-for-romance-no-passport-necessary/#6ff652d8475e) for a mental image of the private island they're at.
> 
> Extra notes:  
> -I really can't express how grateful I am for [spadebrigade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spadebrigade/pseuds/spadebrigade); I'm so happy we met and I'll never stop saying thank you for your help ❤️

晴天の霹靂 _(seiten no heki-reki)_ [thunder on a clear day]—an unexpected occurrence; an unforeseeable surprise

“Who’s ready to get _wasted!?”_ When the various partygoers started screeching at the top of their lungs before Naruto’s feet even hit the ground, he realized he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Konan was quickly swallowed by the crowd and, with an exasperated groan, Shisui dove into the masses to try and help her. As much as Naruto wanted to help, he was afraid he’d lose an arm if he so much as tried to turn down the drinks shoved into his face, so he smiled politely and took the glass.

The island they had been flown to was absolutely breathtaking and there were dozens of lavish bungalows surrounded by immaculately manicured shrubbery. Naruto took a seat on one of the cozy couches and watched as the people in attendance went _feral._ They chugged their drinks within minutes and went back for refills like they'd just been stranded on a desert island. He wondered why people who could reasonably afford whatever they desire would want for anything when the thought struck him that perhaps, they simply lived for these kinds of affairs—parties where they could indulge as much as they wanted without limit. He couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.

Naruto sniffed at his drink and took a sip, but when a _buff,_ shirtless waiter with nothing but tight briefs for pants came up to him and offered his “services” he nearly choked on the vodka. The liquor burned like absolute hell as it flooded his lungs on his inhale, and he rubbed at his chest in a vain attempt to ease the ache. The waiter— _male stripper—_ worriedly ran off to grab him some water and Naruto’s pained wheezing turned into broken laughs at the irony. He quickly moved to an entirely different area so the waiter— _stripper—_ wouldn’t try giving him mouth-to-mouth when he returned. He watched in absolute amazement as dozens of “waiters” began catering to the guests. He’d known this was basically a bachelorette party, but he’d thought they’d at least wait until sundown before releasing the strippers!

With a sigh, he covertly poured out his drink and refilled the glass with water. So long as no one started sniffing it, they’d never know he wasn’t drinking liquor. Even as he politely declined the “waiters” and “waitresses” a very small part of him was relieved. He wanted to help Sasuke, and he really wanted to figure out what was going on between Shisui and Itachi but there was also a part of him that was relieved that he now had a valid excuse for putting off his search for his biological family.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of what he might find, it was that he was worried over what Iruka would think. Iruka had _always_ encouraged him to ask about them, after all, he had met them in his teens. But no matter how much Iruka smiled and offered to talk about them, Naruto always felt like it was a sort of… _betrayal_ to his adoptive father. Iruka was the one who had taught him how to read; he was the one who showed up to the principal’s office when Naruto got in trouble, the one who tried to cook a decent meal every night, and when that failed, he was the one who took Naruto out for dinner and laughed about his abysmal cooking skills. Iruka was, and always would be Naruto’s father, even if he preferred to be called _sensei._

So, why did he still feel the strange pull to know about his parents? And why did he get the feeling that Iruka would be hurt over his search for them? His heart and thoughts were both a jumbled mess as he stared at the waves rolling over the sand. His gaze wandered to the partygoers but despite their ridiculousness, he couldn’t focus on them. He again wondered about the different worlds he and Sasuke had lived and grown up in, and when those thoughts got too caustic, his mind would circle back to his guilty relief over using Shisui and Itachi as an excuse to prolong his search. He was giving himself a headache and suddenly the available liquor was looking a lot more appealing than it had before.

Shisui and Konan had been dragged away and as much as Naruto liked being a social butterfly, he just couldn’t bring himself to interrupt the revelry by attempting to get to know anyone. He’d had more than his fair share of _looks_ from the family party. For once, he was grateful to not be the center of attention—as much as it grated against his morals, he knew better than to make a scene. He _hated_ having to watch what he said or did, but as much as these people sucked, they mattered to the Uchiha family, and even if Sasuke didn’t like to admit it, his family meant a lot to him.

One of the partiers caught his eye and smiled, but the look on the young man’s face was anything but friendly. Naruto racked his brain for the guy’s name, but he couldn’t remember even speaking to him before, “ _Hey,_ aren’t you the one Sasuke brought home? You’re his little—” Konan’s voice interrupted before he could finish his sentence.

“Who wants shots?” The revelers gathered around Konan and when Naruto met her gaze, he saw worry there for the first time since their arrival. It was hidden behind her false smile before he could form a coherent thought, and he rubbed his arms from a sudden chill. Naruto had always been good at reading a room and picking up the subtle shifts in the atmosphere, but he’d been so caught up with his own musings that he hadn’t noticed the sharp gazes being tossed his way or the pointed whispers and rolled eyes.

His fist clenched and his teeth were grinding together before he’d even processed the realization that he was _once again_ being scrutinized and ridiculed. It was in his nature to be open and upfront—if someone had a problem with him, he’d prefer they say it to his face, but he’d also been in these kinds of situations before. As much as he wanted to ask everyone what their fucking issue was, he knew that would just make the situation worse. He really couldn’t wait until he and his boyfriend could finally go back home and stop dealing with this absurdity.

Except…his heart froze at the thought that they’d _always_ have to deal with this. All this time he’d been thinking about Sasuke’s family and the world the Uchihas lived in, but he had only just realized that being with Sasuke meant that he would be pulled into that world too. For the first time since landing, Naruto wondered if they could ever go back to how things were before, or if _this_ was their new “normal”.

“Hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” Naruto jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he turned to see Sakura looking at him with open concern in her bright, turquoise eyes, he shook off the sudden panic his thoughts had sent him into.

“I’m fine,” he put on his biggest, brightest smile and took a sip of his water, but it took all his willpower to focus on their conversation and not his sudden worries.

“They have some of the best seafood I’ve ever had here. If you’re hungry, would you mind eating with me? I really can’t stomach all this liquor being thrown about…”

“I’m _always_ hungry,” he laughed and followed Sakura into the fancy resort, “and I’d love to try the sushi here.” He could all but feel the eyes on them as they left and just barely managed to stop an irritated sigh from escaping his lips. He tried to focus on Sakura and not the panic that was welling up inside him.

They sat and looked over the menu—and Naruto had to restrain himself from ordering everything on it. Talking to Sakura almost made him sigh in relief; it was easily the most enjoyable one he'd had since his dinner with Itachi and Konan. “So, what made you decide on law school?” Naruto groaned in delight as he inhaled the different sushi rolls; he wasn’t crazy about seafood, but the sushi damn near gave him an orgasm.

“Oh, I actually wanted to go to med school when I was younger…” there was a sadness in Sakura’s eyes and Naruto paused in his devouring to focus on her.

“What made you change your mind?”

The smile on Sakura’s face was so strained it actually hurt Naruto to see it, “Ah well, my family has always been really close with the Uchihas. My dad’s been a lawyer for the family for years and since I’m an only child, he wanted me to take over when he retired.”

Naruto opened his mouth—to say what he wasn’t quite sure, but Sakura stopped him before he could respond. It struck a sour chord with him that she would give up on her goals for the sake of her father’s legacy.

“Besides, Sasuke- _kun_ would benefit a lot more by me being a lawyer than a doctor,” Naruto almost dropped the sushi he’d had in his chopsticks. He didn’t even know where to begin to process that statement.

“What do you mean by—”

“I’m starting to understand why Sasuke put off coming back home,” Sakura averted her gaze and tucked her striking hair behind her ear.

“Wait, what?” His food sat completely forgotten as he focused on Sakura; there were too many questions popping into his head faster than he could voice them.

“You didn’t know?” The sadness in her eyes morphed into…something else. Something that reminded Naruto of those vicious stares he’d gotten so sick of. “He was supposed to come back two years ago—take over some of the family businesses. His father was so furious when Sasuke- _kun_ refused, but now that he’s back, I’m sure that all is forgiven.” The _kun_ Sakura continued to tack onto Sasuke’s name was starting to sound _infinitely_ more inappropriate and Naruto’s head was spinning as he tried to think back to two years ago.

Two years had been around the time he and Sasuke had worked out their relationship. When they fixed their problems and transitioned from (not so) casually fucking to seriously dating. It hadn’t been an exact day or specific date, they had just… _clicked._ Until now, Naruto had never had a reason to think too hard about when exactly they had gotten over that initial hurdle.

“We’re just here for a wedding…” those words sounded desperate, even to Naruto’s ears. Their meal had done an excellent job of chasing away those caustic thoughts about the shift in his and Sasuke’s relationship, but Sakura’s words brought them back with a force that left Naruto reeling.

“Wow, it must be nice to be so sure. When Sasuke and I were dating I never really could tell just what exactly was going on in that gorgeous head of his.” He really did drop his sushi, and he set down his chopsticks before he accidentally crushed the expensive utensils. He…hadn’t known Sasuke had dated Sakura. Or any woman, for that matter. It didn’t exactly _bother_ him, but the knowledge was adding to the well of questions that were attempting to drown him. He felt like he’d been thrown into a final exam without even knowing he’d been signed up for the class—everything was hitting him out of left field, and he was flinching under the volleys.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s ancient history now, although our parents were _very_ keen on our relationship. His father in particular really wanted us to get married.” When Naruto met those turquoise eyes, his heart stopped at the viciousness hidden in the gorgeous color.

“You’re so brave, Naruto. I could never come here and spit in the face of all those years of Uchiha tradition.” His hands were shaking, and he _knew_ he didn’t want to hear the next words that would come out of Sakura’s lips, but he was frozen, glued to his chair by a force he couldn’t understand. “It’s so amazing that you don’t care about having children—I’ve always wanted a really large family. Sasuke must really love you to give up on having any children of his own and he certainly can’t inherit the family businesses with no prospects of his own heir.” His lips were trembling as he muttered an excuse and fled the restaurant as fast as his feet would carry him. All the anger and frustration that had been building since the family party transformed into something far more vicious, something Naruto wasn’t used to dealing with.

Guilt.

Sharp, violent guilt was eating him up from the inside out and right on its tail was fear. Fear that he’d be the reason Sasuke lost his family and inheriting their businesses. As if that wasn’t enough, blended into the corrosive mix was pain. He’d _always_ wanted a big family; he just hadn’t thought of the specifics before…not until Sakura had thrown it into his face. He wanted those bonds, more than he even realized until he saw the way Mikoto fussed over her youngest son. The idea of never having children—of never having a family with Sasuke…it was too much.

He was fighting to even out his breaths as he walked towards the bungalows that had been rented out for their use. He just needed a minute alone—as much as he loved being around people, he’d never felt the need to escape as badly as he did in that moment. Yet, despite the blood roaring in his ears, he could still hear the whispers around him. The pressure of their dirty looks made his skin crawl in a panic he hadn’t experienced before.

“Poor thing, he doesn’t even realize that Sasuke’s just playing around with him,”

“Yeah, he’s just a casual fuck for Sasuke—you know he isn’t _really_ gay…”

“Why would Sasuke give all this up just for someone like _that?_ There’s no way!”

“He’s just a gold-digger—he doesn’t even have any real talent.”

“He must think of Sasuke as some kind of a great catch. He probably doesn’t even care about him!”

“He ruined Sasuke…made him into a _fag.”_

His breaths were coming too fast. It hurt and his chest felt like it was on fire, but he couldn’t slow them down. He wanted to scream or yell or cry, but his lungs were spasming out his control. Everything was starting to blur around him and all he could do was lean onto the closest wall and desperately gasp for air.

“Naruto? Naruto! Focus on your breathing—inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.” Gentle hands were on his back, rubbing circles that somehow made it easier to focus. He managed to calm down enough to realize that it was Shisui who was pulling him towards one of the bungalows and Konan rubbing his back. He wanted to thank them but when he opened his mouth, he just started wheezing again and when they stepped into the room he’d been told was his, he froze at the scene before him.

He couldn’t even process what he was seeing. His eyes just kept looking at the words written in bright red above his bed…and resting on the delicate pillows was a giant fish, with flies buzzing around its spilled guts.

The smell is what snapped him out of his daze; the flies were swarming around their feast and Naruto’s panic shifted into the most vicious rage he’d ever felt as he read over those giant, bright red words again.

_Catch this you gold digging fag._

“What the _fuck_ is wrong with these people!?” He roared as he turned back towards the door—he was _done_ letting this shit go. Fuck not making a scene, he was about to cause an entire goddamn movie. How dare they criticize him and his sexuality when these psychopaths think it’s acceptable to _gut a fish and leave it in his bed._

“Stop. Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you lose control.” The grip Shisui had on his arm was the only thing keeping him from stomping out there and punching the next asshole who so much as smirked at him. Naruto knew his emotions were out of control, but he desperately wanted to yank his arm out of Shisui’s grasp and give in to the rage that was easier to deal with than the guilt and pain that was eating away at his heart. If he stared at that fucking _word_ any longer, he wouldn’t be able to keep the tears that were stinging his eyes from falling.

He’d gotten so lucky—never in his life had he ever been called that. He hadn’t even had to “come out” to Iruka—his adoptive dad just shrugged and supported him when Naruto mentioned that he was interested in guys as well as girls. When he broke up with Hinata in high school because he wanted to pursue a relationship with another guy, she cried but told him that she had understood. She was still one of his closest friends and joined him for Pride every year. Naruto had dealt with homophobia before, but _never_ anything like this. Pure, undiluted hate because of his sexual identity was something he couldn’t even begin to fathom.

“I’ll go speak with security…use my room for now until I can get this… _handled._ ” The fire in Konan’s bright eyes was even more staggering than it had been before and Naruto relished the idea of her releasing that vicious wrath onto these pompous, homophobic assholes. His breaths were still broken and choppy, but he couldn’t tell if it was from panic or rage anymore…or heartbreak, because his hands started shaking when he remembered thinking that _this_ would be his new “normal” and the pain in his chest didn’t feel like it was coming from his lungs anymore.

“Come on…” He let Shisui guide him to another room and took the bottle of water the other man handed him.

“Why?” The question was out before he even realized he’d spoken, and he despised the pity in Shisui’s gaze almost as much as he despised the fish that had ruined his bed. “I don’t need pity, Shisui—I just need some fucking _answers.”_

Shisui sighed and moved to the seat facing the open windows—his gaze on the waves as they rolled over the pristine white sand. “Bringing you here…inviting you to the wedding—it means more to this family than I think either you or Sasuke understand. Since the day he was born, Sasuke has always been the shining Uchiha heir, the scion destined to inherit everything. That made him untouchable.”

Those dark eyes shifted from the waves to meet Naruto’s, and the turmoil within the depths shook him to his core. “But his relationship with you—or rather his candidness about his relationship with you—is causing ripples I don’t think he expected. Him bringing you here was a declaration of his disobedience and the ones who have always looked for fault in him have now been given free rein to openly denounce him.”

A bitter, _heartbreaking_ grimace pulled Shisui’s lips tight, and his voice cracked as he spoke, “So long as you are of use, who warms your bed can be ignored. As long as you’re helpful to the family, you can love whomever you want—even another man. But the second you disobey, the second you show your weakness, there is no going back. Madara has yet to speak on the matter of Sasuke’s inheritance and the ones who make assumptions about the Uchiha patriarch are fools but…”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that they _do_ think that Madara will disown Sasuke…” Naruto’s panic was rising again but he forced himself to focus on the anger instead. “How do you deal with this? How can you _possibly_ be okay with spending the rest of your life in the fucking closet!?” The words were out before he could stop them, and he knew he had no right to judge Shisui for his decision—he hadn’t even known the guy for more than forty-eight hours…but he couldn’t ignore this. He couldn’t just let this go.

“Do you really have no idea how Itachi looks at you…? How you look at him?”

Shisui’s eyes misted over and he turned back to the waves, “Believe it or not, Naruto, for as brilliant as everyone thinks I am, I made the most foolish mistake possible. It took me so long to realize…and by the time I did, I was too late.” A wet laugh left his lips and Shisui smiled humorlessly—Naruto’s heart clenched in sympathy.

“I’ve known Itachi my entire life…I think I’ve _loved_ him my entire life, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re never going to be together in the way I want. No matter what I’ve done, I have never been able to convince him that he’s worthy of love. My feelings have never reached him. It took me so long to realize that he would never do something as ‘selfish’ as fall in love.” Shisui’s hands tightened into fists and when his dark eyes met Naruto’s, he saw pain he wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced. “I wonder, if I had loved him as only friends do, would I have been able to reach him? If I could have let him love another, would he be doing this to himself? I failed…and now he’s given up on letting himself have even a shred of what he deserves. I wish I could do more to stop this, Naruto. But the truth is, I have no idea what to do anymore. I haven’t known what to do since I learned of Itachi’s engagement to Konan.”

The silence was heavy—it weighed upon the fire of his anger and put out the flames with an ease that left Naruto breathless. He could only stare at the waves that were growing choppier and more turbulent with each passing minute. The one thought that kept circling around his head was that he would give anything to just be able to talk to Sasuke right now. The only problem was that he really had no clue where to even begin…or what to say.

.

.

.

**[Flashback from shortly before chapter one]**

“No, move up the meeting with the board. I’ll handle the presentation myself.” Shisui dismissed his secretary and immediately started pulling up the information he would need for the presentation he was suddenly having to coordinate. He wondered if he’d be able to complete it before midnight or if he’d have to spend another night in his office. When his door opened again, he didn’t even look up—his assistant was always finding reasons to linger around him, and he assumed the young man would waltz back in with “information he’d forgotten to share”. Shisui didn’t appreciate the constant flirting but the man was good at his job and his flirting hadn’t become a problem yet. Shisui suppressed his sigh as he tore his gaze away from his screen but swallowed the words he’d been about to say when he saw Obito and Kakashi walk in.

“Obito, Kakashi…we didn’t have a meeting scheduled…” Kakashi slumped into the plush chair across from him and pulled out the book he always carried with him. Shisui had long ago gotten a discrete black cover for the smut—it was easier than trying to stop the other man from reading his porn in public. The white-haired pervert was good at his job, regardless of his vices.

“We figured you’d have your hands full with the preparations, so I thought I’d offer to deal with the board for you.” Obito smacked the back of Kakashi’s head and told him to put away his porn.

“It’s not _porn_ , it’s—” Kakashi retorted.

“What preparations?” Shisui was used to dealing with Kakashi and Obito’s antics. They were older than him and usually more mature, but whenever they were in the same room together, they would regress back to how they were as kids. Shisui found that it was best to just ignore their exchanges. For all their fooling around, they both had sharp minds and had always helped him manage the Uchiha corporations day-to-day matters.

“For the wedding.” Obito stopped trying to wrestle away Kakashi’s book and when their gazes met, Obito’s eyes widened.

Shisui had always been good at controlling his facial expression, but the confusion he felt over Obito’s statement must have shown because Kakashi and Obito exchanged a pointed look.

“What wedding…?” Shusui always made it a point to keep an eye on the goings-on of the Uchiha family, but he hadn’t heard of anyone getting engaged—not even in the branch family that he was technically a part of.

“He hasn’t…” Obito’s brows furrowed together and he again looked at Kakashi, but the pervert was no longer idly flipping the pages of his book. Even with the mask that the other man always wore, Shisui could see the shock written all over his face.

“I’ll go get started on the presentation,” Kakashi murmured and deftly left before Shisui could even argue.

“What _exactly_ is going on?” Shisui could count on one hand how many times he’d been out of the loop before. Information management was his specialty and he _always_ made sure to keep tabs on everything of importance with regards to the Uchiha family and their businesses. The pit in his stomach was something he didn’t have a whole lot of experience with.

“Itachi announced his engagement to Konan this morning…I assumed he had told you before anyone else given how close you two are…” The world simply stopped turning. He hadn’t…he couldn’t have heard that right…but the pity in Obito’s gaze grew and when the other man muttered an excuse and slipped out of his office, Shisui realized his hands were shaking.

He stared at his fingers—his hands had still been positioned over the keys of his laptop, but they were shaking now and all he could do was stare at them.

Itachi…was engaged to Konan.

Itachi was marrying Konan.

Itachi was…

_Itachi…_

He didn’t realize he was crying until the tears splashed onto his desk. His hands were still shaking as he covered his mouth and bit back the sob that was building in his throat.

_Itachi hadn’t told him._

He’d spoken to him just yesterday…he’d smiled as Itachi lectured him about resting properly. Shisui couldn’t breathe and it wasn’t just his hands that were shaking anymore. He’d never felt so out of control of his own body before…and all he could do was stare at the simple black cord he’d bought for Itachi. It was a beautiful hair tie—one he’d specifically ordered after Itachi had mentioned that his had broken.

How stupid.

As he stared at the gift, he realized just how stupid he was.

As his chest tightened and he swallowed down the choked sobs that wracked his body, he realized that he was in love with Uchiha Itachi—that perhaps he always _had_ been.

He had taken for granted having Itachi at his side. He’d been foolish enough to think that no matter what, they’d always stand together.

It made sense now, the strange pangs in his heart when he’d watched Itachi take a lover, but they’d always been eased by the knowledge that regardless of who Itachi let warm his bed, the one he relied on would always be Shisui. Itachi had always been honest with him, had always shared what he was doing or planning with him.

So, his silence about Konan…it changed everything.

For once in his life, Shisui had absolutely no idea what to do.

And the one person he had always been able to rely on was no longer within his reach.

By the time the sobs passed, and the shaking stopped, it was well past midnight. Shisui had no desire to leave his office. His bed would be just as cold as the desk he sat at. The noise of his phone ringing barely registered to his ears, but he looked at the device and saw several texts from his secretary. He knew better than to answer, and yet his hands—no longer shaking—typed a simple message and sent it before he’d even registered what he’d done. The reply was instantaneous and Shisui rose to leave, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the hair tie, resting so innocently in its simple black box. He gently placed it in the drawer of his desk, and the click of the metal as it closed rang through his head as he left his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! We've officially come halfway through the story! I promise some fluff and sweetness in the next chapter! I also can't believe this story now has over 5,000 hits on here! To celebrate, the next chapter will be a special flashback scene from before Naruto and Sasuke met! :3 I'll also do my best to continue the series ASAP--these boys deserve their happy ending!  
> As always, I love comments, so let me know what you think down below and feel free to message me on any of my social media :)


	11. [let flow in the water]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto returns to the hotel...(he's not okay ;A;);  
> Sasuke's temper flares a bit (more than a bit);  
> We see how these two idiots work out their problems;  
> More smut! (Seriously...I might need to update the tags ;A;);  
> Intense sweetness! (I'll include a cavity warning >.<)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies:  
> -I really am so sorry for how long this chapter has taken to write and publish >.< I have no excuses--just writer's block and laziness ;A;  
> -I am so grateful for all the support and kindness and I promise to try to update more frequently >.< but the best I can do is continue to promise that I _will_ see this fic to it's completion; seriously, I'm obsessed with this crazy story xD  
> -Anyways, **THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS, KUDOS AND SUPPORT!** ❤️ 
> 
> Disclaimers:  
> -I have no idea how sparring works in real life; the following scenes are based _loosely_ on my own experiences kick boxing and boxing, and I have zero experience with Japanese martial arts so…please don’t come for me if there are a ton of inaccuracies >.< ; I do my best to research but, alas, nothing is better than real experience so…take the following scenes with a grain of salt.
> 
> References:  
> -Now, for the actual story :3 Here are some links for a mental image of things mentioned in this chapter!  
> [Traditional Japanese _dojo_](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oomdw)  
> [Amazing photography of _aikido_ and traditional _hakama_](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/17/fd/1e/17fd1eeaebb961bfa4aca33de8bcbd2e.jpg)  
>  If you’re interested in the history of _hakama_ and the pleat meanings, check out this [link!](http://www.aikidofaq.com/misc/hakama.html)  
> And if you’re interested in _Bushido_ , read about it [here!](http://www.hakamas.com/the-seven-virtues-of-bushido.html)
> 
> Simping for my Beta:  
> -Finally, I must simp for my amazing, stunning, _**awesome** ,_ beta: [spadebrigade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spadebrigade/pseuds/spadebrigade); I would be so insanely lost without her >.< and this fic wouldn't be anywhere near where it is now without her, so please go check out her page :3  
>   
>   
> 

水に流す (mizu ni nagasu) [let flow in the water]—forgive and forget

Naruto was in a daze. Like a fog had descended over his mind. The rest of the bachelorette party, the flight back, even the taxi to his and Sasuke’s hotel were all a blur. His feet were on autopilot as he took the elevator, his hands moved on their own accord to hit the right button for their floor, and on the outside he must have seemed calm and stoic but his thoughts were a chaotic, jumbled mess, matched only by his wavering emotions.

Anger.

Fear.

Doubt.

Confusion.

Guilt.

They all ricocheted inside him, tore and ripped at his heart, and left him raw and numb…and lost. He didn’t snap out of it until he opened the door and heard Sasuke’s voice.

“There has to be something. Just keep searching.”

Sasuke’s back was to him as he gazed out the windows of their living room. His broad shoulders were tense and the hand holding the phone to his ear was clenched so tightly that Naruto’s own fingers twitched.

Part of him desperately wanted to wrap his arms around his lover and kiss away the strain, but his feet wouldn’t move. He froze in front of the door and stared while his turbulent thoughts went into overdrive.

Sasuke sighed as he hung up, scrubbed his free hand over his face and jumped slightly when Naruto cleared his throat. Normally, Naruto would have teased him for being caught unawares, but he couldn’t find it in himself to bait his boyfriend.

“Naruto, I didn’t know you’d be back so soon. I could have met you at the airport.” Sasuke’s eyes brightened when he turned to look at him, his normally expressionless face openly relieved as he closed the distance between them. Naruto’s emotions were at war within him; relief, anger, confusion. It all bubbled up until he couldn’t contain it.

When Sasuke leaned in to kiss him, Naruto flinched back. Whether it was for Sasuke’s protection or his own, Naruto couldn’t figure out. He wanted so desperately to kiss his beloved, to lose himself in the warmth that always existed between them, and yet another part of him wanted to grab Sasuke and physically shake answers out of him; to release all the pent-up anger from the bachelorette party. He hadn’t felt this out of control in years. His hands were shaking from the force of his anger and he desperately tried to calm himself, but so many questions welled up within him…so many accusations clawed at his throat that he couldn’t even begin to make sense of.

“What was that about?” His voice was raw, as if he’d been screaming for hours on end yet he was almost certain that he hadn’t spoken since his conversation with Shisui. His thoughts were too loud, his emotions too caustic, and yet he feared that if he released them all, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Sasuke’s eyes became clouded with concern and uncertainty. The hand that had moved to cup his cheek froze and fell back to his side. “Just…Juugo letting me know that he’d need more time to complete his assignment.”

_Liar._

Like the crackle of a campfire, Naruto’s temper flared. It wasn’t a lie—he _knew_ Sasuke wouldn’t lie to him, but it wasn’t the whole truth and Naruto was so sick of ambiguity and falsehoods.

“Fine. Don’t tell me. Nothing new there.” He wasn’t even sure what he meant by that. He couldn’t make sense of his own thoughts, but the images of that gutted fish flashed through his head like a grotesque montage on repeat, and Sakura’s words rang in his ears without cease.

“Naruto?” Sasuke’s voice wavered and his brow furrowed in what Naruto knew was concern.

He had lost count of the amount of times he’d kissed away those worried lines, but instead of leaning in and brushing a kiss over his boyfriend’s brow, he turned away and moved to sit on the couch. He focused on his breathing and tried to fall into the meditative calm Jiraiya had taught him, but it was a losing battle.

“Did something…happen?” The hesitant tone Sasuke used was one he had seldom heard from his boyfriend.

The near-hysterical laughter that bubbled out of Naruto was even rarer—the sound discordant and jarring as it left his lips.

He smothered the sound with a snort, “Well, I met Sakura. Thanks for letting me know about your ex- _girlfriend.”_ The sarcasm that dripped from his words felt foreign to him, the taste bitter on his tongue.

“…you’re mad that I dated a woman?” The disbelief in Sasuke’s voice set Naruto’s blood on fire, his fury igniting at the raised eyebrow his boyfriend sent his way.

“You could have told me!” The blood roaring in his ears was deafening, and yet it couldn’t drown out the echo of Sakura’s words.

“You’re mad that I haven’t gone through and itemized each of my exes and given you a full account of my former relationship with them?” Sasuke’s temper was rearing its head, his words clipped; those dark eyes were alight with anger and it stoked the fire within Naruto.

“I’m _mad_ that I had to find out from your ex- _girlfriend_ that you were supposed to come back here two years ago! I’m _angry_ that everyone here seems to think that _I’m_ the villain who kept their precious heir from returning home when I didn’t even know anything about it!” He was shouting—he knew he was shouting and the distance between them was closing. He wasn’t surprised; whenever they got into arguments they always ended up in each other’s personal space. But Naruto had long since learned to handle his anger and he couldn’t even clearly remember the last time they’d been this furious with each other. They hadn’t fought like this since they’d first started dating and Naruto couldn’t remember ever feeling this…betrayed.

“That isn’t…that wasn’t something you needed to worry about.” Sasuke’s tone was still even, tempered, but Naruto saw the anger welling up in his boyfriend—it mirrored his own.

The lid Naruto had been struggling to keep on his temper flew off entirely.

“ _You could have told me!_ What was this, Sasuke? Some kind of test? Throw me into the shark pit and watch me drown?” Naruto’s fury was doused by the hurt that flashed through Sasuke’s gaze, but it was almost instantly overcome by the anger that had well and truly awakened within his boyfriend.

Sasuke moved so fast that Naruto almost missed it. Within moments he was standing in front of the door, hand clenched around the knob so tightly that it looked like he would rip it off at any moment.

“ _Come on.”_ Sasuke demanded as he looked back over his shoulder and met Naruto’s glare.

“Where the _fuck_ do you think you’re going!?” He could see Sasuke physically holding back his own furious tone and the deep breath his beloved took to center himself gave Naruto pause.

“Just—” Another deep breath. Naruto couldn’t even properly recall the last time he’d seen Sasuke fighting to stay calm like this. “Just…come on. Trust me.”

Naruto’s anger flickered—the ire in Sasuke’s eyes was clear, but there was also regret hidden in their dark depths. Or perhaps remorse was a better word. Had this been two years ago, there was no way in absolute hell Naruto would have caught the subtle emotion radiating from his boyfriend in quiet waves, almost lost under the tide of his clear anger, but they’d both learned from those experiences. Naruto would be lying if he said he understood Sasuke’s thoughts and emotions perfectly, but he’d certainly come a long way. Which is why he bit back his retort, mirrored Sasuke’s deep breaths, and silently followed his boyfriend out the door.

Because he _did_ trust Sasuke. More than he’d ever trusted anyone else in his life. He had a feeling that he would always trust Sasuke—even if he did want to punch him in his perfect fucking face.

The silence between them was deafening as Sasuke led him onto the elevator and stabbed at one of the lower levels. Naruto was too busy trying to keep from screaming to spare a moment to figure out where the fuck his boyfriend was taking him. As the elevator pinged down dozens of floors, Naruto focused on breathing and found himself remembering the last time he’d been this pissed with his boyfriend. The damned thing of it all was that Sasuke hadn’t even _been_ his boyfriend at the time. And that had been the problem.

**[Flashback to two years ago]**

Naruto was _livid._

Pissed.

Absolutely fucking _incensed._

“How dare he,” he muttered as he pounded away at the punching bag he’d been going at for the last hour. The poor thing swayed so heavily from his assault that he had to jump back to dodge as it swung back towards him with a vengeance.

“How fucking _dare_ he!” Naruto screamed as he spun into a kick that would have won him a great deal of praise from his _jujitsu_ instructors. He couldn’t give a single fuck about his form while this enraged, but Jiraiya had quite literally beaten it into him until it was second nature. Which meant that his form was perfection itself and that the poor punching bag he’d been taking his frustrations out on didn’t stand a chance of surviving the night.

“How fucking _dare_ he accuse me of cheating!” Naruto shouted at the punching bag the same way he had shouted at Sasuke earlier in the day. When the dark-haired fucking _bastard_ had insinuated in that goddamn _tone—_ the condescending, rude, pissy tone Naruto had come to absolutely despise—that Naruto was sleeping with someone else. He would _never_ cheat on his significant other, and he certainly wasn’t cheating on Sasuke, even if _they hadn’t discussed what the fuck “they” were._

It was more than just casual sex—Naruto knew it and he had a feeling Sasuke did too, but they hadn’t exactly discussed the specifics of their “relationship” yet. Talking was incredibly hard when they were both too busy ripping the other’s clothes off. But for Sasuke to insinuate that Naruto was sleeping around…it hurt him even more than it pissed him off, and _that_ just made him even angrier. He had no clue when he’d fallen for the jackass who scowled as often as he rolled his eyes, but if the way his heart was clenching in his chest was any indicator, he had fallen far.

He released another wordless shout and dodged the heavy bag’s backswing. His irritation spiked again when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure entering the gym.

“What the fuck do you want?” He steadied the bag and refused to make eye contact with the man who had silently walked up to him.

“Your form is excellent. I’m surprised—most people tend to lose their form in the height of their anger, but yours is flawless.”

“What do you _want,_ Itachi?” Naruto hissed as he slipped into another _kata_ and jabbed at the bag in rapid succession, the chains holding it up creaking in what almost sounded like a whimper. At this rate, he’d probably end up paying the gym for a replacement bag…again.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a temper, but I can’t fault you for it. My little brother certainly has a talent for pushing one’s buttons.”

Naruto found himself snorting in agreement; at least Itachi _knew_ how much of an ass his brother was. He reined in his temper and turned to face Itachi, his mind doing the same double take it had when he had first met the man. The family resemblance was uncanny—Itachi’s midnight eyes practically identical to Sasuke’s except for the fact that Itachi’s were somehow heavier; as if they were burdened by secrets that would never see the light of day. Naruto almost groaned when he saw Itachi’s eyebrow quirk up—the exact same way Sasuke’s always does when he’s trying to be annoying. On Itachi, it was somehow intimidating.

“Why are you here?” Naruto blew out another harsh breath as he met that dark gaze.

“You mean here in this gym or here in Manhattan?”

“ _Both.”_

Though Naruto knew why Itachi had come to New York. Sasuke’s brother hadn’t exactly been subtle about his investigation. As much as it pissed him off, he knew Itachi was only looking out for Sasuke. Naruto briefly wondered just how many gold-diggers Itachi had already dealt with on his little brother’s behalf.

“I won’t apologize for protecting my brother.” Itachi’s tone was firm, unyielding, and Naruto found that he really couldn’t blame Itachi for it. If he had a brother of his own, he was certain he’d be just as protective as Itachi.

“But I will admit that you’re not what I expected. And your relationship with Sasuke is…more than I was prepared for.”

“I get it. I do—but you’ve done enough research into my finances to know that I don’t want or need Sasuke’s money.” He’d worked his ass off to make it in New York’s exclusive artist community and his work had paid off, but Naruto had never once given a fuck about how much his paintings sold for. While he was grateful to live as comfortably as he did now, it wasn’t what he sought when he took a paintbrush to a canvas. It was never his goal to be rich or famous—he only wanted to paint the world around him, and express that which he couldn’t put into words.

“I understand that now. I also understand that you mean more to Sasuke than anyone else ever has.” Itachi’s tone gentled as Naruto flinched at his words.

“He just accused me of—” The words caught in Naruto’s throat and that ache that had been growing in his chest throbbed again. “You don’t say something like that to someone you care about. He _knows_ I don’t go back on my word and I said that whatever the fuck we’re doing…it’s exclusive.”

“He pushes. When people get too close—he pushes to see just how far he can go before they break. It’s a defense mechanism. One which I had thought he’d overcome, but it would seem that you’ve gotten close enough to trigger it.”

Naruto bit his lip and turned away—because he heard the truth in those words, and in his heart he had already known. As much as he wanted to stay infuriated over Sasuke’s accusation, some part of him had heard the fear in his boyfriend’s (or fuck buddy…they really needed to discuss labels) voice. The same part of him that wanted to scream and yell until Sasuke admitted that what they had was more than just casual sex.

“How experienced are you at sparring with a partner?” Itachi interrupted the swirling thoughts that were attempting to snuff out the fury that had been eating him up since his earlier fight with Sasuke.

“Huh?” He was so shocked by the question that he momentarily forgot his anger and the worry that had begun to gnaw at him.

“Have you ever sparred with a partner?” Itachi looked amused and Naruto fought down an annoyed huff. Was every Uchiha this condescending?

“Of course I have. I’ve even participated in more than a few competitions.” And won. A lot. Naruto didn’t brag much but he knew his strengths—the _dojo_ he frequented most often had been begging him to come teach a few classes or do demonstrations for years.

Itachi’s lips lifted into a small smile, as if he heard the arrogance Naruto had tried to tone down. “Good. Then I have an idea.”

.

.

.

That evening had been the very first time he and Sasuke had sparred. It had also been one of the most exhilarating experiences of his life. Naruto hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he’d had plenty of experience sparring, but none of them could hold a candle to fighting with Sasuke.

The morning after, when Naruto saw Itachi again, Sasuke’s older brother had said, “I was told once that the highest level of martial artists can understand one another simply by exchanging blows. That between them, words aren’t necessary. I’ve never experienced it myself, but if I have learned anything about my little brother, it’s that his actions speak far louder than his words ever will. I’m…happily surprised to find that in this, you are the same.”

Itachi had been right—more than Naruto had even realized at first. He had _understood_ Sasuke; when they exchanged blows, something clicked, and Naruto found himself understanding. It would be dramatic to say that fighting had allowed him to see into Sasuke’s heart, but…well it _had._ As crazy as it seemed, when they’d finished it had been like they’d purged all the pent-up resentment that had been building between them.

Since then, sparring had become the way they worked through their problems; when words failed them, exchanging blows filled the deafening silence and quelled whatever had come between them.

So, when Naruto stepped out of the elevator and saw the magnificent _dojo_ he hadn’t known existed in their hotel _,_ he wasn’t at all surprised. His fury flickered and his lips lifted into a small smile when he saw his own _hakama_ and _aikido_ set laying neatly on the padded mats.

“I had a feeling we would need them.” Sasuke quietly answered when Naruto shot him a look, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. He was still pissed, but somehow Sasuke’s tendency to overthink every aspect of their lives was incredibly cute.

Naruto huffed as he changed into the uniform, his mind settling as the action sent him into a meditative calm. He heard the echo of Jiraiya’s words ring through his mind and his heart ached at the bitter-sweet memory.

 _Naruto, do you know the meaning behind the pleats in_ hakama?

 _Why the hell would I know that,_ ero-sennin _?_ He laughed at the memory of his own childish snark. Jiraiya had never reprimanded him for the silly nickname and he could easily picture the old man laughing with his head thrown back and arms crossed.

 _Listen well, Naruto! The pleats represent the Seven Virtues of_ Bushido. As he smoothed out the creases in the fabric, he recited the names:

義 _Gi—_ righteousness and integrity.

勇 _Yuu—_ valor and bravery.

仁 _Jin—_ benevolence and humanity.

礼 _Rei—_ respect and courtesy.

真 _Makoto—_ honesty and sincerity.

名誉 _Meiyo—_ honor and dignity.

忠義 _Chuugi—_ loyalty.

It had taken him much longer to learn that what Jiraiya taught him wasn’t just the symbolic meaning of _hakama_ —it was a routine; a mental exercise to find balance before practicing the martial arts. Putting on the garments, tying the _obi,_ and folding the _hakama_ are all physical anchors to settle the mind.

When he had finished, his thoughts were no longer a caustic mess. Concentrating had always been the hardest part for Naruto to learn, but under Jiraiya’s guidance, he had mastered it. Everything unrelated to the fight ahead left his mind as he settled into _seiza,_ the formal sitting position of _aikido._ As he breathed, his mind became silent; still as a clear lake, but with turbulent currents hidden beneath the quiet surface. He was centered and balanced, but that didn’t mean he was any less pissed at his boyfriend.

But the thing about sparring was that, when he met Sasuke’s eyes across the _dojo,_ he didn’t just see his lover and boyfriend. He saw an elite martial artist trained in _aikido, judo,_ and _kendo._ An ambidextrous fighter who favors his left for direct strikes and right for feints; a calculating opponent who never wastes a single movement—one who watches carefully before striking and always has another dozen moves planned after his first.

Sasuke was his lover and boyfriend of three years, but in that moment, he was simply a highly-skilled martial artist—one who Naruto was always excited to face in a fight. As they rose and bowed, flowing through the proper etiquette of a match but without the formalities, Naruto kept his eyes slightly off-center from Sasuke’s gaze. Something he had learned after their first fight was just how intensely mesmerizing those ink-black eyes could be. If he stared into those eyes just a second too long, he’d find himself flat on his ass with Sasuke positioned to overtake him; that damn gaze could put people into a trance and Naruto knew better than to fall for the same trick twice.

He saw Sasuke’s lips twitch into the tiniest of smirks and moved without hesitation—Sasuke’s tells were damn near impossible to catch, but Naruto had learned every facet of his opponent’s fighting style. Sasuke moved like fire: wild, mesmerizing and completely and utterly consuming. As Naruto twisted into a palm strike—using his speed to his advantage—he watched as Sasuke tried to turn his own momentum against him.

They moved so fast that it would have appeared choreographed to an onlooker—the recorded sessions they had tried once made Naruto’s own jaw drop, despite the fact that he had been one of the people in the video. He had learned that it’s only with Sasuke that he can move without hesitation—he can get lost in the motions, let his body twist and strike as fast as he can visualize it. The slightest pause would give Sasuke the advantage, and his lover wouldn’t hesitate to take it. Between them, there was no holding back.

His thoughts were rapid fire through his mind as Sasuke dodged his strike—moving just slightly enough to avoid the hit but not waste a single ounce of energy. He flickered like a flame caught in a breeze and continued his movement, blocking the kick Naruto twisted into.

_Why didn’t you tell me?_

Sasuke flinched under the blow, his muscles seizing for a second.

 _I never expected any of this._ Like an echo, Naruto heard the words Sasuke wanted to say, but they didn’t make him stop his movements—he went low and moved into a lock that would allow him to break Sasuke’s knee with a single strike.

_You could have told me._

They both froze.

“Point.” Naruto grunted as they reset and moved back to the starting positions. Sasuke took a deep breath and settled into a _judo_ stance—one Naruto had only seen him use when he was completely serious about taking his opponent down.

He took a moment to breathe and settle his heartbeat, to calm the adrenaline rush that always spiked in matches. Sasuke had told him once that he moved like wind—wild and uncontrollable; unpredictable and unrestrained. Sasuke had laughed as he told Naruto that he howls like the wind, unbothered by what stands in its path as it reduces mountains to rubble.

Naruto huffed a tiny laugh, reveling in how fire and wind dance; it’s in their natures, and maybe that’s why he and Sasuke moved together as one. He threw a fast punch but Sasuke dodged and grabbed his arm, using the momentum to pull him closer.

 _Were you trying to test me?_ Naruto hissed as Sasuke twisted his entire body and flipped them both.

The breath was knocked out of him as Sasuke pinned his arm and brought his leg up to choke him—Naruto could only pat the mat twice in capitulation.

 _I would_ never _do that to you._ Sasuke’s lock loosened and he flowed back to his feet, as sensuous and nimble as a snake.

“Point.” Sasuke huffed as they reset back to starting positions and Naruto rolled his shoulders to try and relieve the strain. They circled for a moment, feet gliding over the _tatami_ mats silently.

He saw Sasuke’s shoulder tense mere moments before his lover moved—his fist flying so fast that Naruto barely caught it. He felt Sasuke pulling away and gripped harder as he struck out with his free hand.

 _Where do we go from here?_ Sasuke moved like lightning to block him, nails digging into his knuckles.

 _We figure it out. Together._ They grappled for a moment, but their strength was even; they were stuck in a deadlock.

“Tie…” Sasuke breathed, the sound whispering between them as they both released their holds. Naruto felt everything drain out of him on the tail of that word, his anger, confusion, fear—it all left him along with the deep breath he took.

When he opened his eyes again, Sasuke wasn’t in the starting position and his eyes were no longer cold or calculating. His shoulders tensed and Naruto allowed himself to fall into that dark gaze he’d been avoiding since they started.

Naruto didn’t hesitate this time—he stepped forward and pulled his boyfriend into his arms. He felt Sasuke melt into his embrace and the taut wires that had been pulling at his heart since the party finally loosened.

“I’m sorry…” Sasuke whispered so quietly that had they been any further apart, Naruto wouldn’t have heard it. But he did, and he pulled his lover closer as he nuzzled into silky black strands. “I should have seen this coming and warned you.”

“I can fight my own battles, Sasuke. I just didn’t know I was walking into one.” He murmured as Sasuke pulled slightly away, resting his forehead against his. “Besides, it wouldn’t have stopped me. I went because I wanted to help you. I still want to help you.”

Naruto closed what little space between them and kissed Sasuke the way he’d wanted to since the party—even as pissed as he’d been, there was always some part of him that craved the wild heat between them. His boyfriend’s hand came up to cup his cheek and there was no more hesitation between them, just tongues and teeth and a wild passion that had only deepened from the moment they met. He groaned when Sasuke licked into his mouth and played with his tongue ring, his head feeling light from the pleasure.

“We have the _dojo_ for as long as we want,” Sasuke nipped his bottom lip and Naruto couldn’t stop the way he brushed his nose against his lover’s, a small smile blooming on his face. “Want to spar again?”

“You know I’d never turn down a fight with you, but…” Naruto laughed, the sound husky and deep when he heard Sasuke’s breath catch as his hands wandered south and his knee brushed the inseam of his lover’s _hakama._ “I can think of other things we could be doing right now.”

He was so high off the pleasure—so drunk on the lust between them—that he didn’t notice Sasuke moving until his back slammed into the ground, cushioned by the mats specifically designed to break such a fall. He didn’t have time to recapture the breath that had been knocked out of him before Sasuke’s lips covered his, his thighs on either side of Naruto’s hips and his fingers quickly pulling apart his _gi._

Naruto groaned when he felt Sasuke’s fingers on his bare skin, but he quickly snatched his lover’s wrists—halting the movement that was slowly lighting his entire body on fire.

“If I do this in a _dojo_ in Japan, Jiraiya will actually come back and haunt me.” Black eyes met his as Sasuke nipped at his lip again, but Naruto saw the laughter he tried to hide. This was far from the first time they’d gotten frisky after a spar, but Naruto refused to go any further. His mentor might have been a pervert, but he had taught him to respect the martial arts, including the place where they are practiced.

“We should head back to the room. A nice hot bath sounds amazing.” Naruto said as he rolled to his feet and pulled Sasuke up with him. He’d been eyeing the monster that could be categorized as a mini-pool in their bathroom since they’d first arrived, but more than that, he saw the dark circles under Sasuke’s eyes, marring the ridiculously perfect pale jade skin. He’d seen the way his lover’s reflexes had already started to slow after their third round—still insanely fast, but far from his best. Naruto could guess that whatever had happened at Itachi’s party hadn’t been much better than what had transpired at Konan’s. Hopefully less…bloody but given Sasuke’s short temper and the abundance of alcohol at bachelor parties, Naruto couldn’t be sure.

“What happened at the party?” Naruto hadn’t let go of Sasuke’s hand when he’d pulled him up and they walked together back towards their suite.

“I almost murdered my cousin.” Sasuke’s voice was impassive and Naruto snorted at the picture his mind conjured up of a terrified Inabi shaking in his boots, but Sasuke also squeezed his hand and Naruto knew that whatever his asshole of a cousin had said or done had managed to upset him beyond casual anger.

“I’m sure he deserved it. What stopped you?”

Naruto wanted absolutely nothing to do with Inabi and he found he couldn’t give a rat’s ass at the thought of the fucker’s funeral, but he didn’t want his boyfriend to wind up in prison (though conjugal visits would be fun).

“Itachi.” Sasuke’s tone was frigid and Naruto really couldn’t think of another time he’d ever heard his boyfriend talk about Itachi that way. He always spoke of his older brother with quiet reverence and respect; Naruto was sure Itachi was the only person Sasuke genuinely admired and wanted to be like, so hearing the conflicting emotions in Sasuke’s voice was heart wrenching. Naruto sighed and brushed a kiss over Sasuke’s knuckles.

“Will you tell me why you were so pissed earlier?” Sasuke asked as they got back on the elevator. Naruto huffed and dramatically dropped his head onto his lover’s shoulder. Even just thinking about the stupid party made him want to punch something.

He felt Sasuke’s fury growing as he explained what had happened. By the time he got to the dead fish, Sasuke had moved past pissed and gone straight to infuriated. Naruto would be lying if he said he was over the whole affair, but he was tired of dwelling on it and he didn’t want his boyfriend to brood over it the way he already had.

So, as he opened the door of their room, he pulled Sasuke into a long and deep kiss that channeled the sweltering heat he could feel bubbling up again in his boyfriend.

“They can gut as many fishes as they want—I’m not gonna’ get scared off so easily.” Naruto brushed a few more soft pecks along his lover’s jaw, tucking back the hair that had fallen over Sasuke’s eyes.

“It’s fish, you moron,” Sasuke huffed as he leaned in and caressed the birthmarks along his cheeks—the very same birthmarks Naruto had hated as a child, teased and ridiculed by other kids who needed a target to vent their frustrations on. The orphanage Naruto had spent part of his childhood in was one of his worst memories, but the way Sasuke brushed over those marks made him melt and he found himself no longer capable of hating them the way he had as a kid, “and if anyone ever does something like that again, I will show them how to scare someone off.”

Naruto didn’t need protecting—he’d learned to defend himself in every sense of the word early on in life, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy having someone by his side who cared enough to bother.

“Are you sure?” He whispered, certain that the warmth that flooded his heart was apparent in both his eyes and voice. “I’m positive it’s ‘swim with the _fishes’_ , which would be a pretty fitting punishment in my opinion.” His laughter bubbled out of him, soft and sweet, warming the small space between them and the way Sasuke’s lips twitched into a smile in response was everything he needed to quell the caustic emotions from earlier. He had no more use for them, and so he let them flow away like water on the knowledge that whatever came next, they’d handle together.

__

_He’s stunning._

Sasuke found himself amazed by his lover all over again: to endure that much insanity and let it all go for _him_ …it humbled Sasuke as much as it stunned him. He wanted to set the person who had gutted that fish on fire, but since that option eluded him, he would indulge in showing his boyfriend just how much he cared about him.

Naruto was always so wild and impassioned _._ Sasuke enjoyed how hurried their kisses became, but he also knew how much the blond enjoyed being taken apart. Piece by piece—torturously slow. So he pulled his lover close and gave him lingering, sipping kisses—savoring the feel of Naruto relaxing around him. Long and deep—molten to the point he almost lost himself in the heat.

“Is it too dramatic to say that I missed you after such a short time?” Naruto’s voice was husky and soft as Sasuke nudged him towards the bed—their bath could wait.

How his lover’s words still managed to surprise him—his heart doing profoundly stupid somersaults in his chest—was beyond him. But he found that he no longer cared how ridiculous it might seem, even to himself. Naruto made him happy beyond words and he was quickly realizing that there was nothing he wouldn’t do for the man who had somehow stolen his heart.

“No, it’s not too dramatic.” He answered quietly, though he was sure Naruto heard him.

Because he felt the same—he’d missed his boyfriend from the moment he’d gotten on the helicopter, and the ensuing party had only deepened that awareness. The feel of Naruto’s skin under his fingertips was like a ray of sunshine after a long night, his body finally relaxing; he wasn’t sure exactly when he’d gotten so tense, but as he peppered Naruto’s neck with kisses, he felt the strain disappear. He quickly pulled off his lover’s _gi,_ finishing what he had started earlier in the _dojo._

“My _hakama—”_

Those bright azure eyes Sasuke adored so much were blown wide with pleasure, a light flush already painting Naruto’s cheeks. Sasuke bit his lip as he stared, struck by the reminder of just how beautiful his boyfriend was.

“I’ll fold it properly for you later,” Sasuke huffed as he peeled off the uniform, dragging his fingertips along the gloriously well-defined lines of Naruto’s abs and chest. He couldn’t help but lick his lips at the sight before him: his boyfriend practically glowing as he lay naked in their bed, a soft sheen of sweat highlighting every dip and curve that caused the growing heat between them to pool between Sasuke’s thighs. He didn’t even bother removing his own uniform—he was in far too much of a rush to have his lover on his tongue.

He heard his boyfriend groan when he dipped his head and caught one of the taut pink peaks on Naruto’s chest with his teeth, the sound sending a shiver of pleasure down his entire spine, making his toes curl. He nibbled and played with the bud until Naruto was panting, his lover’s hips unconsciously rocking forward. His boyfriend was so extraordinarily sensitive, Sasuke could only smile in quiet pleasure.

He paused to lavish the blond with a long, wet kiss when Naruto’s fingers tugged at his hair; he used the opportunity to lick into his lover’s mouth and tease him with his tongue.

Naruto might have been the one with the tongue ring, but Sasuke would be damned if he didn’t make up for his lack of an insanity-driving metal bead with technique. He had all but humiliated himself the first time Naruto had used that piercing on him—coming so quickly and hard that he’d seen actual stars—but he was nothing if not determined. He got his revenge not long after, and it was an ongoing game between them—one he knew they both immensely enjoyed.

Sasuke could feel Naruto growing more impatient beneath him and bit his boyfriend’s lip in reprimand, slowly wandering his fingers down to the heat that was already leaking a drop of precum. Naruto’s breath caught when he brushed his finger along the tip and brought the clear liquid to his mouth, swirling his tongue around the digit.

 _“Fuuuuck,”_ Naruto groaned as his hands dug into Sasuke’s hips, urging him to move.

“I plan to.” Sasuke whispered as he kissed his boyfriend again, still slow and deep as he stroked his lover’s heat from tip to base.

Naruto’s head fell back with another groan, his hips pushing his length into Sasuke’s hold, hands kneading Sasuke’s ass with a growing impatience that brought a self-satisfied smirk to Sasuke’s lips. He took the opportunity to leave a few marks on his boyfriend’s neck, adding to the ones that hadn’t even healed yet, bright new rosettes blooming next to barely faded ones. Sasuke had never been so territorial before; with his previous partners, he had never felt so satisfied from the act of marking where he’d been, but some basic, carnal part of him absolutely reveled in it with Naruto. That same part of him _wanted_ everyone to know that this wild, stunning, radiantly beautiful man was _his,_ and that no one else had the right to mark him like this.

Sasuke was overwhelmed with lust and pleasure, but he had certainly earned Naruto’s title of “No. 1 Habitual Over-Planner”; he wanted to show his beloved just how much he appreciated him, and he had the perfect plan to do it.

Naruto whined as he licked his way down his chest, pausing to leave a few more marks here and there. He felt his boyfriend’s heels digging into the mattress as he sucked and kissed his away across toned thighs, hand never once stopping in his firm strokes. He knew the pace was delicious torture for Naruto—his lover had always craved it fast and hard, but Sasuke found himself wanting to indulge and savor every heated moment between them.

The hands that twined around strands of his hair dug into his scalp when he breathed over the heated flesh between his lover’s thighs, the chill sending an unmistakable shiver all throughout Naruto’s body.

“Sas…”

He paused to meet his boyfriend’s gaze—soft blue eyes stunningly dilated and love-marked chest rapidly rising and falling. Sasuke was flooded with an intense wave of satisfaction; to have his lover so disheveled after only just getting started—it made him feel almost deliriously smug.

“Hn.” He lost himself for a bit, staring into those eyes; such intense eye-contact was yet another thing that was so different with Naruto. It’s not that he refused to meet his previous partners’ eyes, but he’d never lost himself in them like he did with Naruto. When his boyfriend brushed the hair away from his face and cupped his cheek, he could only turn with the movement, pressing featherlight kisses along his palm.

“Why are you torturing me?” Naruto whined, though his breathy moans sounded like anything _but_ the sounds of one being tortured.

“Are you complaining?”

He didn’t give his beloved a chance to reply—he licked at the tip of his lover’s length and grinned at the unashamedly loud groan the blond released. It’s not that it tasted good (though he wouldn’t say it tasted bad either), but it _felt_ so fucking good. Feeling Naruto swell and lengthen in his mouth had him rutting against the sheets, seeking friction for his already humiliatingly damp cock.

Sasuke worked his boyfriend with every bit of technique he’d built up since he’d met the blond—determined to pick his lover apart until he was screaming his name. He swallowed him down as far as he could, ignoring the way his throat clenched and the way his saliva spilled out of his mouth. He felt Naruto writhing and squirming beneath him, his lover’s fingers clenching and unclenching in his hair as his back bowed. Sasuke picked up his pace and spread his boyfriend’s thighs further apart, intensely happy that despite the blonde’s impressive muscles, he was quite limber and flexible. Unfortunately (though Sasuke never complained), his lover also had a ridiculous amount of stamina; his endurance had impressed Sasuke from the very start. He was breathless by the time he let Naruto’s length pop out of his mouth, hands shaking a bit from his own need when he wiped away the liquid dribbling down his chin.

But Sasuke knew _exactly_ how to overcome his lover’s insane stamina.

“Pass me the lube.” Sasuke chuckled at the almost frantic way Naruto pawed at the drawer of their nightstand, tossing him the bottle with an entertaining amount of haste. The sight of his boyfriend wrecked and two steps away from coming apart made him want to slow down even more, to tease and torment until the blond either snapped or started begging.

“ _Sasuke,”_ Naruto snarled, though the harsh pretense Sasuke was sure he was going for was completely ruined by his kiss-swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and wide eyes.

Sasuke laughed again and ran his tongue along his lover’s shaft, even longer and slower than when he had started.

“Dammit Sasuke!” Naruto’s voice broke, the closest Sasuke had heard it to a whimper since they’d met; the sound flooded him with a wave of fondness, heart overwhelmed by the intensity of it.

His hands were shaking a bit as he coated his fingers and moved to kiss his beloved, need rocking through him on a crushing wave of happiness. Naruto cupped his jaw and yanked him close, kissing him as if he couldn’t get enough, as if Sasuke was some sort of delicacy he craved.

“Naruto…” His name left his lips like a hushed prayer as his hand continued to move, circling around his lover’s tight entrance.

“Hurry _up, teme.”_

Sasuke lost himself in their kiss, overwhelmed by the raw intensity of what was between them. If it was possible to drown in another’s pleasure, Sasuke was sure he’d sunk to the deepest depths imaginable, and he never wanted to surface. He worked his boyfriend open, slipping another finger in as his lover groaned.

“You need more prep,” Sasuke whispered across his beloved’s lips, hand trapped between them as he continued to stroke his boyfriend.

“I don’t _care!”_ Naruto wrapped his legs around his waist. His fingers brushed past the spot he knew made Naruto absolutely weak, and he smirked in delight as his lover buried a scream in his shoulder. Sasuke was shaking from his own desire but his hands were steady as he scissored them and continued to brush that spot that had his boyfriend’s nails digging into his back.

“Sas at this rate, I’m not gonna’ last!”

Sasuke’s substantial patience finally ran out. Hearing his name roll off his beloved’s tongue set him on fire, and he had no desire to leave the inferno. He breathed deep as he tried to calm his racing heart, ripping off his own incredibly disheveled _gi_ as Naruto attacked his lips, licking into his mouth with every drop of wild passion that exploded between them. When he broke the kiss to slip off his _hakama,_ Naruto groaned and stroked himself in impatience, the movements hurried.

The sight nearly undid him, but he tossed away what remained of his clothes, slicked himself with lube, and wrapped his lover’s legs back around his waist, reveling in the way Naruto pulled him closer, tongue flicking over his lips.

“ _Sas—”_ His lover was cut off by his own scream as Sasuke pushed into him.

He was so tight, so _perfect,_ that Sasuke had to bite down on Naruto’s shoulder to keep from plunging in too fast. He felt Naruto shaking, head thrown back and hands clinging to him.

“Sasuke—Sas, I—” His voice was completely wrecked, and it had Sasuke all but high on pleasure-induced endorphins.

It was too much. Being surrounded by Naruto—his warmth, his tight heat, the way he said Sasuke’s name like it was the only thing that mattered to him as he held on and refused to let go…it broke Sasuke and remade him all at once.

“Stay with me—just stay with me,” The words left him in a rush, his entire body shaking as he pushed forward, drowning in the heat between them, losing himself in every sense of the word.

His hips were moving on their own—far too fast for the amount of prep he’d done, but he couldn’t stop, his plan from earlier evaporating from his mind like mist. When Naruto cupped his cheek and pulled him close, drowning him in bright azure, he could do nothing but meet his beloved’s gaze, completely and utterly enraptured.

“As if I’d ever leave the man I love so much.”

Naruto’s words rang through him, igniting an endless explosion of pleasure that short-circuited his entire system. His mind went completely blank—silent as he floated down from the high of such an intense orgasm. When he surfaced again, those words continued to ring through him and his eyes burned, chest tightening to the point where it was almost painful, and yet he wouldn’t change it for the world. He clung to Naruto as they rocked together, shaken and overwhelmed as he buried his face in his beloved’s shoulder.

He couldn’t repeat those words, but he _wanted to._ With everything in him, he _wanted_ to say them back, to make sure Naruto knew. But they got trapped in his throat, held down by the weight of them. He felt Naruto’s hands in his hair, carding through the strands as he nuzzled into him. His eyes burned again, and he couldn’t stop the tracks that trailed down his cheeks. He could only hold on tight and hope that he’d never lose this man who had come to mean everything to him.

Pleasure drunk.

Naruto’s thoughts were fuzzy as he came down from one of the most intense orgasms of his life. He wanted to laugh—he had once prided himself on his stamina and was by absolutely no means a blushing virgin, and yet Sasuke could tear him apart so quickly with nothing but his tongue.

He was in such a wonderful stupor that it took him longer than it should have to realize that Sasuke was shaking. Naruto’s mind sluggishly kicked back into gear as he noticed his boyfriend’s entire frame trembling, face buried in the crook of his shoulder. He blinked in surprise when he remembered the words Sasuke had whispered—so out of it that he’d spoken in Japanese. He had asked Naruto to stay.

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered, lightly coaxing his lover to raise his head, but his beloved had always been one of the most stubborn men Naruto had ever met and refused to look at him.

“I’m here, Sasuke. I’m here,” he nuzzled into that soft black hair he adored so much, crushing his boyfriend closer as he repeated it in Japanese. Sasuke refused to look up and instead shook more. Naruto’s heart clenched at the sight.

He didn’t regret telling Sasuke how much he loved him—it wasn’t even the first time Naruto had said the words, at least in some form. The first time had just popped out of him, several years ago as they had been quietly washing dishes. He would never forget the look in his beloved’s eyes when he realized what Naruto had said. He hadn’t regretted saying them then, and he didn’t think there would ever come a time when he would.

But he also knew just what those words meant to his boyfriend. Sasuke had never been a very open person but Naruto had taken the time to learn him, to figure out the things that were important to him. He had realized long ago that Sasuke had never once spoken those words aloud; he suspected not even to his family. For one, the words “I love you” aren’t something casually said in Japan, but mostly, he knew better than anyone that Sasuke was more comfortable speaking through action than words.

Which is why it didn’t hurt Naruto in the least. He would never demand that Sasuke say them, and he had never once felt that they were missing in their relationship. So he crushed his lover close and quietly ran his fingers through his hair, softly pulling at the small tangles that had formed.

“Sasuke—”

The ring of their hotel room phone cut him off before he could attempt to coax his boyfriend again. He glared at the small device causing such a ruckus on their nightstand, hoping the damned thing would silence itself before he chucked it out the nearest window.

“Answer it,” Sasuke’s voice was husky and thick—Naruto nearly froze at the raw emotion he could hear in those few syllables. He knew better than to try and force his lover, who was still tactfully avoiding his gaze, but he wanted nothing more than to meet those dark eyes.

“Sas—”

“It could be important.” He could already hear Sasuke’s shields being put up again, his emotions buried and locked away where they couldn’t be used against him. Naruto’s heart hurt, but he reached for the phone with his free hand, his other continuing to caress the strain from his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Hello?” He huffed into the receiver, containing his irritation to the best of his ability, but when he saw Sasuke covertly wipe at his cheeks, he almost hung up.

“Hello, Mr. Uchiha? There’s a message for you from an Uchiha Itachi.” He didn’t bother to correct the woman, his attention torn between his boyfriend and the spike of fear that sprang through his chest at the idea of Itachi needing to reach them so badly that he would call their hotel.

“Is something wrong?” His voice must have given something away because Sasuke snapped out of it, his head whipping around to meet his gaze, the soft mist in the dark depths still evident.

“He said to inform you that Mikoto- _san_ has asked you to attend their home this evening. He asks that you not be late, as she is very excited about it. Would you like me to reply to him?”

Sasuke had inched forward, head cocked slightly as he listened to the conversation. Understanding lit up his face as he spoke, “We don’t have to—”

“Yes. Please confirm with him that we’ll both be attending.” Naruto cut him off and thanked the desk-clerk—he was sure any normal front desk manager of a hotel wouldn’t bother playing secretary for their guests, but he was certain Sasuke had paid a ridiculous amount of money for their fancy lodging. Might as well take advantage.

“Naruto…” Sasuke’s voice was hushed as Naruto hung up and pulled him close.

“I want to. I’ve been looking forward to making _onigiri_ with your mom ever since the family party.” He brushed feather-light kisses along his beloved’s cheeks, silently wiping away the tear stains he knew Sasuke would never admit to.

“Now come on—I promised a bath and you know I never go back on my word.” He beamed at his boyfriend as he tugged him off the bed and towards their bathroom. He caught the tiny smile Sasuke tried to hide, his heart soaring when his boyfriend let him carry him to the tub.

“You’re so cute when you’re clingy,” Naruto teased as he turned the knobs and set the temperature to scalding—he was a wimp when it came to the heat, but Sasuke loved to set his baths and showers to blistering. For him, Naruto didn’t mind enduring a bit of boiling.

“Shut up, _usuratonkachi,_ or I’ll impale you on my _katana.”_ His tone was petulant, but Naruto heard the happiness buried underneath. It turned his blood to honey, made everything seem so much brighter.

“I can think of something else you can impale me with,” Naruto winked and shut off the water—double checking the temperature as he moved.

Sasuke laughter made him freeze—the sound so full and genuine that it knocked the breath out of Naruto. His boyfriend hardly ever laughed like that, and even though he tried to smother the sound, it echoed within Naruto.

Euphoria.

He’d never used the word before—had always thought it sounded pretentious or silly or only applied to drug addicts describing their highs. But when he saw Sasuke’s soft smile, heard his laughter, it’s what he felt. When those dark eyes lit up with surprise and delight, he felt euphoric and realized in that moment that he’d spend eternity chasing after the feeling. Maybe he _was_ like the drug addicts describing their highs—he almost snorted at the idea of being addicted to his beloved, but the statement was true.

As they slipped into the tub, the water and steam wrapping them up in soft intimacy, he understood why it didn’t bother him that Sasuke had never said the words “I love you”.

It was because he didn’t _need_ to hear them—he felt their weight in the soft caresses along his birthmarks, felt them when Sasuke rested his head on his shoulder and allowed Naruto to hold him up. He heard them in the laughter that spilled out of Sasuke around him, saw them in the bright, honest smiles he could bring out in his beloved or the way those dark eyes lit up when their gazes met.

Sasuke didn’t need to say them. Not when Naruto heard them, saw them, and felt them so deeply.

He relaxed into the water, pulling Sasuke close as his boyfriend gently lathered the expensive hotel soap across his chest. He couldn’t help but squirm under the touch, peppering his beloved with more kisses, his happiness bubbling up inside him until he couldn’t contain it.

“Stop moving,” Sasuke reprimanded, flicking him in the forehead as he wiped off the soap.

Naruto hummed as he grabbed one of the bottles resting along the edge of the tub, “Let me wash your hair.”

Sasuke silently pursed his lips and turned around, surprisingly cooperative as Naruto wet his hair and brushed the shampoo into the strands. Naruto almost snickered at the way Sasuke leaned back into him, his boyfriend practically purring as he worked the lather through the strands.

He leaned in closer to his beloved, pressing more kisses along his boyfriend’s shoulder as he weaved their fingers together, watching happily as the water dripped down their hands and flowed down their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! I am quite proud of this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it :3  
> You know I love comments, so drop me one below! ❤️  
> Also, I will continue to work on a fun pre-CRU special, but I have become a very slow writer so bear with me >.<

**Author's Note:**

> Social media:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Ana_rchyAngel)  
> [Tumblr](https://anyrchyangel.tumblr.com)
> 
> Please message me if you're interested in beta-ing for me! :)


End file.
